Friday will mark the NFL’s first game in South America when the Eagles and Packers play in Brazil. The 2024 campaign will also feature regular season contests in London and Munich later on, with the league showing interest in other markets down the road. Ongoing international expansion is set to remain an NFL priority. 
Up to eight games per season are permitted in international markets, but the potential for that figure to rise has long been a talking point. Increasing the NFL’s footprint in Europe, South America and potentially Australia is a target, and the league’s first game in Madrid will take place in 2025. Paris and Dublin are other cities being looked into as potential hosts.
“We want the world to know we’re coming, that we’re bringing football,” commissioner Roger Goodell said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee show (video link). “Our clubs have agreed to play up to eight regular-season games. We have expectations that will go well beyond that. We think we’ll be [at] seven next year, we’re already going to Spain next year, we’ll be back in Mexico I hope by next year, so we’re really excited where the future is for us on an international basis.”
Indeed, a return to Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will be feasible once its renovations are complete. London has remained a staple of the NFL’s international series (especially in the case of the Jaguars) dating back to its inception in 2007. With league expansion including a foreign-based team/division not viewed as being imminent, it would come as no surprise if attention continued to be focused on making inroads with international markets and fanbases. Reducing the years between mandated overseas games from eight years to four has come up, and no teams opposed the potential for nine international games taking place in 2025.
League executive Peter O’Reilly said (via Mark Maske of the Washington Post) the NFL is committed to Brazil “for the long haul.” Games being played there could therefore become a regular occurrence in addition to other overseas contests pending unforeseen issues with Friday’s game. Overall, the scale of the league’s international operation should be expected to continue in the years leading up to flag football making its Olympic debut in 2028.
Guessing the players don’t mind going to Brazil, aside from a few of the happily married ones.
Players are being told not to leave the hotel–for their own safety. I don’t see how this is a fun trip for anyone on the team.
that you, Philadelphia Collins?
It is. Have you seen my son Jacob? And try a Dirty Burger!
he went to the woods to study for his hotel/motel management exams
“Player safety and health IS the nfl’s 1st and foremost important priority.” Pretty soon 22 in-season game schedules. What’s the short week gonna be like when you gota go from SF to Barcelona ? How many teams will start 3rd, 4th, even 5th string QBs as attrition rate balloons. Sounds like some quality football. Go Duesseldorf !
What’s little jet lag and shortened weeks to a couple of teams when the league can make more money!!!! Player safety…….only convenient when it makes the NFL money.
I believe that the players have to agree with this.
NFL on Mars, here we come!
Your home planet finally gets its turn.
Ugh it is fine if it is a separate league we can ignore(NFL Europe) but it is going to be really dumb to try and be international for so many regular season games. Just do it for the limited pre season games, I really don’t think the countries care if you send backups to play. The international games tend to be poorly played anyways.
This is a freaking brilliant idea.
The preseason has become meaningless to American NFL fans. Whereas you’re correct, international fans in attendance likely won’t know the difference.
Half of them wear jerseys from different teams and even different sports.
But most of all, this would eliminate the in-season interpretations, short weeks, jet lag, and loss of home games for local fans.
All the more reason players should keep fighting for their money. Owners are going to subject them to weird working conditions to make more for themselves.
All the more reason players should keep fighting for their money.
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I thought the players worked off of a percentage of the gross?
The salary cap is derived from a percentage of revenue, but it’s not like individual contracts get scaled up along with the cap. So when people on here panic about what percentage of the cap a contract will take up or complain about a guy wanting new money before his contract is up, it leaves out the part where owners are pushing things like this or additional games.
But as a whole, the players won’t have to fight for anything. Brazil pays the NFL say $20M, then the players get ~ $10M of that. This is why the NFL works better than the MLB.
I’m talking about individual players and the more general principle of owners ruthlessly maximizing profits while players are trashed for maximizing their own.
The ruthless owners get almost an identical percentage as the magnanimous players. If the tab is $20M, then the diabolical owners get ~ $10M while sitting on their yachts, while the players get ~ $10M while working in soup kitchens to support their families.
It’s an even split. Sure, some players will get more, and some will get less, but that’s a question of talent.
There’s a lot of luck, timing, and team willingness beyond just talent, especially when you’re talking about individual players, which is what I’m doing. Take Ja’Marr Chase. The salary cap has gone up 40% since he signed his rookie deal. The number of games in a season–and risk of injury–has gone up since he signed his rookie deal. His rookie deal guarantees a little under $31 million, so less than his market rate would be for one season. He’s at risk of career ending injury at any time, wasn’t even allowed to seek a new contract until after his third season, and is ultimately at the mercy of a team with famously tight purse strings. Owners don’t take on nearly the risk or odds players do, while also owning giant appreciating assets with considerable taxpayer subsidies. It’s not really even.
Are we going to lower the season ticket prices for fanbases losing these “home” games? No, of course not. Meanwhile, the owners will continue to demand taxpayers fund new stadiums in cities that will now get less use, padding the value of their clubs while they also rake in money internationally.
Also, as others have mentioned, what about player safety?
This is why I despise NFL owners. They may be the greediest group of people on Earth. That’s not to say other sports leagues aren’t ran by the same types, but the NFL owners just have a grotesque way of putting it on full display.
Also, as others have mentioned, what about player safety?
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1-I assume that the union has to agree to this, so the player safety issue is moot.
2-The players already have to play in St. Louis which ranks #15 in the world in murders per capita, and Baltimore ranks #23, and Detroit is in the top-50. So it isn’t like they are currently playing games in safe cities.
The player safety is regarding traveling on short rest to play games. Returning and practicing for another game. That is taxing on a body, not smart to fly with some body damage too.
Not about city they play at.
“i assume….so the issue is moot”
brilliant insight
Good old JoeBrady
I don’t like the international games. And I’d be PO’d if my team didn’t get to host a game as a result.
Other than the NFL, who wins on these games?
The hosting cities certainly enjoy it, as do the 80,000 fans in attendance, as well as the millions that watch it on TV.
Millions are watching the game regardless. I doubt the pre game and lead up weeks get more views because they are in a different country.
Stadium for the actual team would still be having fans in attendance. Only the host cities may enjoy it but not all of them like tourist.
My guess is that the NFL hopes to build a larger following in these countries overall, which means more tv money, more jersey sales etc going forward.
The NFL is eager to expand internationally because they realize American fans are getting fed up with the greed, poor officiating, incompetent ownership, pandering to criminal athletes etc. etc.
No one cares if some of the athletes are criminals any more than they care if some doctors are criminals.
The formula is simple IMO – everyone gets an international game, and it’s natural site. The. you can have 17 games with an even number of home/away games. Then when you expand to 18 you go back to alternating 8 and 9 home games (presuming you keep one international game per team).