NFL House in Paris closes ahead of street protests in French capital

PARIS (AP) — The NFL closed its “NFL House” in Paris on Saturday as the city braced for street protests with a heavy police presence and storefronts boarded up.

The league announced the closure to fans on Saturday morning through its “OnePass” app and it came a day after it said its pop-up NFL shop would also be shut Saturday — in both cases citing “potential accessibility issues.”

Security concerns have overshadowed the NFL's debut in Paris. The New Orleans Saints will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Stade de France in the league's first-ever regular-season game in France.

Also Saturday, the Saints announced that “ Saints House has been postponed until Sunday.”

Events planned Saturday at NFL House included “French Athletes in Football” and “From the Field to the Community.”

“I was looking forward to just checking out some of the installations they had — they were going to have the Lombardi Trophy,” fan Nick Paiva said.

Major museums including the Louvre and Orsay Museum are closed Saturday, though tourists were lined up to enter Notre Dame Cathedral. French authorities are intent on preventing a repeat of recent violent unrest.

The U.S. State Department this week issued a security alert that cautioned “Americans in Paris for the NFL game” to “exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings” because of protests.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that preparations were made in consultation with U.S. and French authorities. Street protests, he said, “are not unusual in France.”

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Goodell along with Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers owners Art Rooney II at the Élysée Palace to “discuss Sunday’s game and the long-term future of the NFL in Paris.”

The NFL said Friday that its pop-up shop in the city center would be closed Saturday but that fans could use an alternative shop set up at Stade de France, located north of the city in Saint-Denis.

A weekend event for Steelers fans was canceled Thursday because of security concerns.

Paiva, an American who lives in France, wanted to visit NFL House, where his partner, who is French, could learn more about the sport.

He had also expected to participate in the league’s activation called “Hail Mary over the Seine” in which you try to throw a football across the famed waterway, at a location near Notre Dame. Despite having registered, Paiva was told at the site that he needed to also have made a time-slot reservation.

“That was not communicated very well,” he said after being turned away. “C’est comme ca — it’s the way it is.”

French teenager Oskar Le Gall, wearing a Bryce Young jersey, was able to give it a shot. His throw came up a bit short. A worker on the other side stayed busy scooping balls out of the river using a long pole with a net attached.

Le Gall, who is from the Brittany region, said “the atmosphere of the NFL in Paris is amazing,” noting that French sports leagues and teams typically don't promote themselves that much.

Le Gall and his brother were keeping an eye on the planned path of the protests Saturday.

“It doesn't feel calm and good to be a tourist in Paris,” he said. “It's not good for the NFL.”

At one point during the Hail Mary event, 11 national police vans with their emergency lights flashing drove past on the street above as a fan got ready to throw a ball.

Steelers fan Monika Allen was able to avoid any protests thanks to advice posted on fan-led Facebook groups.

“The fans are doing a good job keeping each other informed of where to be and where not to be,” Allen said by the ‘Hail Mary’ event.

Her cousin, Viktor Toth, was wearing her Terry Bradshaw black-colored Steelers jersey.

“We're not worried,” she said. "My cousin is Hungarian, so he knows that the protests happen regularly in Paris."

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Police officers patrol the empty Place de la Bastille ahead of a demonstration against rising living costs in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers leaves a press conference in Paris, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A fan participates in the Hail Mary event on the banks of the Seine river in Paris, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 in the build up to the Saints against Steelers NFL game. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

A man walks past stores boarded up with wooden planks in the Les Halles shopping district, which is under a nighttime curfew following weekend protests over the cost of living that turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

An exterior view of the Stade de France with NFL branding on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, ahead of Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. (AP Photo/Greg Payan)

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — No. 1-ranked England suffered consecutive defeats for the first time in a decade after it was beaten by Canada 31-22 in WXV women's rugby late Friday.

Canada doubled down on its historic 24-21 win in Toronto last week with sustained defensive pressure and a withering three-try burst in nine minutes around the hour mark.

The Canadians have been the bane of England’s existence for the past five weeks, responsible for ending the Red Roses’ record 39-win streak in a 26-26 draw in Exeter, stopping their 41-match unbeaten run in Toronto, and now starting their first losing streak since July 2016.

"It's so amazing. It shows we can consistently perform at this level and now we just need to do it for another two, three years to the next World Cup (in 2029 in Australia),” Canada captain Sophie de Goede said.

Despite conceding five scrum penalties, Canada's defense forced constant errors by world champion England in front of 13,117 spectators.

"We're not broken, we just need to grow from this,” England captain Meg Jones said.

England got the ideal start from a try between the posts by No. 8 Maddie Feaunati, but was quickly overtaken by Canada tries to flanker Julia Omokhuale from a tap penalty and de Goede, a gift from Gabrielle Senft.

England then lost four straight balls in contact in the Canada half and Sarah Bern was held up over the tryline to leave Canada leading 12-7 at halftime.

England moved ahead 17-12 after a 20-meter rolling maul try for Amy Cokayne but Canada then struck three times. De Goede scored her second bounding over a ruck, prop DaLeaka Menin scored in a lineout drive, and fullback Savannah Bauder stepped two defenders in a 55-meter solo try to make it 31-17.

England kept coughing up possession and couldn’t reply until there were seconds left.

In Whangarei, Braxton Sorensen-McGee, who turns 20 on Monday, settled a 31-12 win by New Zealand against France with a 75-meter counterattack try with 10 minutes left on Saturday. France was far tougher than in the 81-12 defeat in Hamilton last week and the Black Ferns pulled away late.

In rainy Tokyo to celebrate Japanese rugby's centenary, Wales beat Japan 17-0 thanks to superior forward power, a stronger bench and Seren Lockwood's versatility to score a try from scrumhalf in the first half and from the wing in the second.

In Cape Town, Ireland won an 11-try contest with South Africa 40-27 in their first match in 20 years. Ireland edged the back-and-forth first half then shot ahead with third-quarter tries by Beibhinn Parsons and captain Erin King.

See AP’s full rugby coverage here

Canada's Sophie de Goede, center front, tries to hold onto the ball against a tackle by England's Hannah Botterman, center back, in the first half of a rugby match in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Daleaka Menin, center front , tries to get past England's Maddie Feaunati, front left, and Sadia Kabeya (7) as she is tackled by Zoe Harrison, center back, in the first half of a rugby match in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Sophie de Goede, center, scores a try against England as teammate Julia Omokhuale follows in the first half of a rugby match in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Sophie de Goede, second from left, holds the Utrecht Shield as the team celebrates after their win over England in a rugby match in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)