NFL closes Paris fan hub as protests loom ahead of Steelers-Saints game

The NFL announced the closure of its NFL House fan hub in Paris on Saturday, citing potential accessibility issues. The decision came a day after the league shut its city-center pop-up shop for the same reason. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints are scheduled to play their first regular-season game in France on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET in Saint-Denis.

The Saints postponed their fan gathering, "Saints House," until Sunday, and the Steelers cancelled a planned event at a bar in the Bastille neighborhood, stating that recent events in the area made it inappropriate to proceed.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 police officers would be deployed nationwide on Saturday. Paris police authorized a single march from Bastille to Nation and prohibited other demonstrations, closing 24 metro stations as well as the Louvre and the Orsay Museum.

The unrest, which began in September over school overcrowding and teacher shortages and later expanded to include trade unions and the yellow-vest movement, has drawn hundreds of thousands of participants in recent nationwide protests.

The U.S. State Department issued a security alert urging Americans in Paris for the NFL game to exercise caution. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league had made all necessary preparations and that protests, while common in France, would be monitored to ensure safety. Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president for club business, international and league events, said the league never seriously considered canceling or relocating the game. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Goodell, Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers president Art Rooney II at the Élysée Palace to discuss the upcoming match and the NFL's long-term plans in Paris.