Saints game in France may appeal to NFL, but is a loss for New Orleans

On Sunday, a French news source reported that the New Orleans Saints will be play in the final ever NFL game in Paris, France. French broadcaster RMC Sport reported that the Saints will take on the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25, which would fall during Week 8 of the 2026 season. League sources have yet to confirm this, but that could come as early as this week. The NFL has a lot of eyes on it ahead of Super Bowl LX.

If confirmed, the Saints and Browns will play in the first NFL game in France in the ongoing attempts of league commissioner Roger Goodell to expand the National Football League to international status. While that ambition is ridiculous, it makes sense to include the Saints in a Paris game. Louisiana, New Orleans, and the entire Gulf Coast region has strong French ties that reach back centuries. Additionally, Saints linebacker Demario Davis and owner Gayle Benson visited France last summer on an ambassador trip.

Davis served as a liaison to the Paris Musketeers, a team in the European League of Football. The Musketeers have been in operation since 2023, when they unveiled a logo similar to the French fleur-de-lis worn by the Saints since their inception. Former NFL linebacker Jack Del Rio is the head coach of the Musketeers. Del Rio began his playing career with the Saints in 1985, spending two seasons there, and was a linebackers coach for New Orleans in 1998.

If the Saints and Browns do play in Paris as reported, it will be the fourth international game for New Orleans. It would also rob the Saints of a home game in the Caesars Superdome, as Cleveland was slated to be one of their home opponents. That would mark the third time in their four international games that New Orleans would lose a home game for Goodell's overseas plans.

In 2008, the Saints were designated as the home team during a 37-32 win against the San Diego Chargers in London. During the 2017 season, New Orleans was the away team in London for a 20-0 shutout over the Miami Dolphins. Back in London in 2022, the Saints again lost a home game during a 28-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Browns were one of nine games that were supposed to be played in the Superdome in 2026.

If this game is played in Paris as reported, it will mark the fourth time in five years that the Saints have played more games away from the Caesars Superdome than inside of it. In that span, New Orleans has a 17-23 record at home and a 19-26 record away from their home field.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints game in France may appeal to NFL, but is a loss for New Orleans