The New Orleans Saints have arrived in Paris for Sunday’s historic regular-season matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Stade de France, with the NFL maintaining that the game and its surrounding events will proceed despite recent unrest across France.
New Orleans landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Monday morning and addressed security concerns during a virtual media session after a weekend of protests, riots and looting in Paris and other French cities. Demonstrations over rising living costs and conditions in schools led to significant damage near Place de la République and Bastille, while authorities reported roughly 2,400 arrests and thousands of businesses affected by damage or looting.
French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the violence in a televised address Sunday. Further demonstrations remain possible this week, with high school and university student groups calling for protests on Thursday and Saturday.
The Saints’ trip includes the NFL’s first regular-season game in Paris. Pittsburgh was scheduled to travel to the French capital later in the week ahead of the Sunday kickoff at the national stadium.
While in the city, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan and running back Alvin Kamara attended Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Barcelona on Tuesday night. PSG hosted the players at Parc des Princes and secured a 4-2 win with two late goals as it continues its pursuit of a third consecutive European title.
Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal scored in the match, but PSG finished strongly to take the victory before attention turns to the NFL’s Paris debut at Stade de France.
