The eye-watering hotel prices for Dublin NFL match with just ‘1% availability’ for visitors

The NFL comes to Dublin on September 28.

NFL fever will be arriving to Dublin at the end of September, but for those visiting for the match at Croke Park, accommodation is at an all-time premium.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings meet on September 28 in week four of the upcoming NFL season, in what is the first regular-season game to be held in Dublin (the Steelers played the Chicago Bears in a pre-season game at Croke Park in 1997).

There was huge interest in tickets when they were released in June, with more than 600,000 joining the queue.

Prices for the first batch of tickets sold ranged from €85 to €295.

If you’ve been lucky enough to grab a ticket but haven’t yet sorted accommodation, you could be in for a fright. 

One booking website says there is 99% unavailability in Dublin for a two-night stay from Saturday to Monday for the Sunday match, with prices well into the thousands of euros for the short visit. 

There is only slightly more availability for a one-night stay - with 98% unavailability - either on the Saturday night or Sunday night, but the prices are still eye-watering, with some hiking their costs by 700 per cent for the big weekend.

Dublin estimates 30,000 international visitors will be in the city for the match, and it is expected to add a €64m boost to the local economy. 

Croke Park’s capacity will be cut slightly with temporary seating installed on Hill 16, with 76,000 still expected. 

With over 600,000 people in the queue once NFL Dublin tickets were released earlier this year, fans took to social media to voice their frustration.

They felt the ticketing system didn’t ensure locals got a fair chance at getting a ticket with such a huge demand from all corners of the world.