After gradually increasing the number of international games over the past several seasons, the NFL could be poised to bring its biggest annual event overseas, according to Ken Maguire of The Associated Press. 
“We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city — that was always sort of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises,” Roger Goodell at a fan forum in London last week. “But things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”
Excepting Super Bowl XLVIII, the NFL has picked stadiums either in warm-weather states or with domes to host the Super Bowl. This could be a significant barrier to an international Super Bowl. London, the most likely destination, may be too cold in February and lacks a domed stadium with enough capacity for the big game.
However, NFL executive Peter O’Reilly clarified on October 17 that an international Super Bowl is “not on the front burner,” per FOX News’ Armando Salguero.
It is more likely that the NFL continues to augment its international presence during the regular season. Goodell has proposed a 16-game international slate if the regular season expands to 18 games, though that will face pushback from the NFLPA after players have openly expressed frustration with traveling overseas midseason.
The prospect of 16 international games came up during talks that led to the 2020 CBA’s ratification, but the league’s 17-game schedule has come in well short of that mark. This season brought five international games. That is the highwater mark to date. Moving to eight has come up in the recent past. However, a jump to 16 would be a major change to the league’s schedule as a whole.
Goodell expects Dublin, Ireland and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to join the list of international hosts, with Madrid already confirmed for next season. Sweden and Australia have also come up as international sites, as is Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which hosted a site visit in the past year, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. So far, the NFL has mostly camped in London, Germany and Mexico City. Though, the Packers-Eagles Brazil matchup marked a significant development on the international sports scene. Jaguars owner Shad Khan – who also owns West London Premier League team Fulham F.C. – is also considering playing more games in London during upcoming stadium renovations in Jacksonville.
Owned by the storied Irish-American Rooney family, the Steelers are a prime candidate to play in Dublin’s first NFL game, according to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. The Steelers and Bears played a preseason game in Dublin in 1997.
Oh, hell no!
Just more reason to believe the NFL doesn’t care about its true fans and just care about the money.
Roger……who would pay the exhorbitant ad rates when your viewing audience would be greatly reduced due to a boycott
Why would anybody boycott the Super Bowl? It’s almost always going to be a neutral site game anyways. As long as the field is up to standard, who cares?
It’s easy for me to boycott it. I’m a Browns fan.
The mistake by the lake.. we get it
Fans are always threatening to boycott the NFL for one reason or another, but the ratings always go up.
No one is going to boycott the Superbowl.
And imho, the is Goodell’s backhand way of telling London, maybe Rio, maybe Mexico City, that a SB could be the reward for building an NFL stadium and adding an NFL team.
Well I wish he would hurry up so the terrorists will know which city to book hotel rooms in. Wouldn’t want them to have to pay the rack
rate (sarcasm)
I don’t think you’d see a boycott big enough to dent the ratings. They’ve already priced the Super Bowl experience out of the average fan’s budget. Anyone that can afford a ticket can afford an international trip, and the rest of us will just watch it on TV. I think the challenge for the league though might be navigating potential differences in time zones. If an advertiser will pay as much for an afternoon slot as they would for primetime is a question I don’t know the answer to.
I’m assuming they would work it so that the game still played at a normal hour stateside. So they could play it in the afternoon in London or a pretty normal time in Rio or wherever.
You may need to research time zones. The SB is typically played about 6:30 pm Eastern. This would be 11:30 PM in London or 12:30 AM in Berlin. If it was played at 6:30 PM in London, it would be 1:30 PM Eastern and 10:30 AM Pacific.
You are 100% correct. I was on such an empty stomach that I had time zones literally backwards. But something in Mexico City or South America would be very easy.
Fair enough. You are correct though that South America would work better, but the potential sites seem to be dumps as both Brazil this year and Mexico City previously had issues about playing conditions.
Toronto or Vancouver would be interesting International options without completely flinging poo a the fan bases.
The Bills have played games in Toronto in the past but I think the plan there was to annoy the CFL rather than to actually consider Canada as fertile ground for expansion or a major event like a SB.
I live in the US Eastern Time Zone and I have meetings with others all around the globe. I’ve had meetings in the middle of the night, crack of dawn and late evening and it stinks.
If the NFL thinks they can get strong viewership elsewhere, they’ll go for it because the assumption is that their core viewers will watch no matter what or when.
Americans have no problem watching the Olympics even when they are hosted in inconvenient time zones, so I don’t see this as a problem for the NFL.
It’s a problem for the fans. And plus, the Olympics is an established international event with recognition, while a lot of Europeans already have an “anti-American” bias when it comes to sports too, degrading NFL and American football to soccer and things like that.
The major network still insists on an evening Prime Time highlights show of completed competitions as if no one knows the outcome.
I also wouldn’t compare a 2 weeks long Olympics of multiple events to a one off American Football match.
Yeah that’s gonna be no from me.
Mark that down as the dumbest idea of the day
The day is young yet. Roger never fails to come up with a lot of dumb ideas.
Goodell is a crook and complicit which his ties to Pfizer… it’s time to take out the garbage.
This clown makes how much per year?
But yet only until last year could somebody buy the Sunday ticket so people that live out of market can watch games with out direct tv. Goodell is a joke
The South Pole would be unique.
Not as unique as the North Pole. Of course, you’d need floaties.
I don’t care. It’s not like I can afford a SB in any American city.
I actually have much less of an issue with one Super Bowl being outside the States than I do with the pricing of the games in general here. The vast majority of fans cannot afford to habitually attend games as is, much less the Super Bowl. We’ve been priced out of that realm for some time now.
If Goodell and the NFL had any sense they would let arty host the SB in his backyard. The halftime show would feature Belichick on a dunking machine. Discounted admission price if you show up with some tacos for arty 🙂
This whole international games is ridiculous. If they want teams to play over there send 4 teams to play preseason games. I am sure ticket holders would happily not have to pay full ticket prices for pre season games.
Not sure how a team in Europe would work. Mexico City might work but how do they handle the logistics? Do they pay the Cartels to leave the players alone? Security will be tough.
Will this be a CFL in the US? Not that the NFL needs the money to keep going but do the fans become bored with it after a few years and attendance falls off? Just do not think it is a good move.
Let me guess the Saudis are gonna pay a billion dollars like they do with the UFC events. This is a joke why would a league where you don’t have a single team outside of the country play that championship outside of the country. As usual greed ruins all
Let that day be 100 years or so in the future…
That’s a dumb idea. But then again, you’ve had several of those.
If you play it across the Atlantic, then you are looking at an early afternoon game here. Sorry, but that type of scheduling went out after Super Bowl XI.
Going off what he actually said, it is more likely that a non-NFL stadium could host the Super Bowl. However, you don’t have a lot of options that meet the warm weather requirement and are also large enough. University of Texas, The Rose Bowl, the Coliseum. Husky Field is big enough but I doubt they would play outside in Seattle in February.
If you move to Europe you have the logistical nightmare that is the time difference. The last Super Bowl kicked off at 3:40 Pacific. In order to keep a kickoff around that time, the game in Europe would start between 11pm-1am. I don’t think the NFL wants to do that to the two teams competing for the championship. Rio was a nightmare. So unless it is a dome game, I wouldn’t plan on the Super Bowl there.
Personally, I would love to see it alternate AFC-NFC every year and they go though all home stadiums. Yeah Green Bay is small and cold, but you can get some iconic games that way. To keep it so you don’t have a bunch of games in one part of the country you just use an alternating rotation:
AFC North
NFC South
AFC East
NFC West
AFC South
NFC North
AFC West
NFC East
Then start over with the second team from each and then third then fourth. This would also make keeping NY from having 2 SB in a row easier.
It was a reward for a city bowing to the NFL and its local Franchise by strong arming the citizens of the area and/or State into approving taxes to fund new stadiums.
I wish they had rewarded Green Bay for their multi-million dollar expansions and upgrades. Unfortunately, they don’t want the Super Bowl in a small cold city.
Green Bay got the 2025 draft. That should be a good test for what the area is capable of. Capacity is not the issue, the weather certainly would be. SB XLVIII was played at Metlife in NJ. The weather was cool, but not crazy freezing, but there are guarantees on weather. The first SB in Atlanta had to deal with an ice storm.
I think lack of hotel space is what will keep Green Bay from scoring a SB, but the Draft will be the chance to prove everyone wrong.
I agree. When you are essentially going to double the population of a city for a week (talking about Super Bowl) you will need to have good lodging options. And since Green Bay isn’t that big, you will need to have coordinated transit to make sure people can get to Green Bay from the outlying cities with easy. I would imagine lots of rented shuttle busses to take people back and forth.
Is Goodell stupid or is he just an a**hole? The Super Bowl is the quintessential American event, and this goof wants to have it in another country. Hey, yeah, let’s do that. Israel and Iran are at war. Russia and Ukraine are threatening to touch off WW3 and Mr Goodell wants to put our favorite pastime square into the cross hairs of whatever terrorist organization decides to make a statement about how much they loath America. Look back to the Munich Olympics, do we really want the same thing happening to our favorite players. That is about the dumbest thing I’ve heard somebody propose since New Coke. Even Americans who can’t actually attend the game can participate in activities during the lead up to the actual event, but those people won’t be able to travel overseas. How about China? They’ve stolen everything else from America, why not the freaking Super Bowl too. Good goobly good Roger, you should be FIRED for even suggesting that the Super Bowl be moved outside the US.
I assume that’s a rhetorical question.
It’s infinitely easier for the average Joe in Texas to get his hands on a gun than it is for anyone in those foreign countries you mentioned…but go ahead and sound the terrorism alert. lol.
It’s not about the availability of guns, those who have such a low value of the lives of others will find ways. From a political perspective an attack on a SB would be a prized goal for some.
If you’re hoping to recruit other fanatics to your cause by disrupting a SB game then you’re an idiot. The game doesn’t represent anything political. You might as well target a Wal-mart which has far less security measures in place.
Really? What are your sources? And I’m sorry, but I have to disagree. You are saying that it’s easier to get a firearm in Texas than it is in Tehran? Or in Moscow? Ever been overseas? Hopefully you are being facias.
Also, as a veteran and a former assistant chief marshal on our reservation I have seen close up and personal that firearms are not the only thing that will render someone unalived, as they say.
Putin stands in front of the Kremlin every morning handing out firearms to anyone who wants one…lol.
I’m also sure that terrorists get their weapons from Putin, Zelensky, or the heads of Hezbollah, etc. You cannot be that ignorant of the inner working of leadership. Humor is not appropriate when it comes to death and/or maiming anyone. I find that very offensive.
As far as a terrorist threat. Would you not agree that the best time to hit the US with a strike would be on the world stage with 75% of the population watching on TV? Would you have believed 9/11 could happen if someone had asked you on say, September 5th if that same year? If you must get your laughs at my expense by all means go ahead. I don’t find death a funny subject, but to each his own.
Firearms are not widely available in Russia. During the Kursk incursion, one reason the Russians on the farms there couldn’t fight back effectively was the absence of weapons. It’s state policy to not have firearms widely distributed. The Russians are reconsidering these policies now (more accidental shootings, more crimes of passion vs better prepared in the case of terrorist or border attacks).
On the other hand, in Kiev and throughout the Ukraine they’ve been distributing lorry loads of automatic weapons to anyone who wants to help herself or himself for two and a half years.
The rest of Europe, there’s not many firearms around in most countries.
If Russian citizens had guns, they might be able to stage a revolt. Can’t let that happen…
Russians are in no hurry to revolt. The last revolution took place about a hundred years ago and it didn’t work out particularly well (October Revolution). In contrast, over the last 24 years the current leadership has increased GDP by 10x, PPP GDP by 7x, ordinary people’s real income by 5x.
During that same last twenty-four years in the United States, the income of the ordinary worker and tax payer has fallen in real terms (after inflation). Despite the lack of government probity, the ocean of guns floating around in the USA and the huge budgets going to the MIC and foreign (mis)adventures, no revolt has taken place.
In the twenty-first century it does not seem that guns in the hands of population lead to better government or government more in the interests of the ordinary citizen.
This is a lot of words for a response that didn’t make it sound like an international Super Bowl is actually coming any time soon.
Extremely dumb. Yeah let’s have a Super Bowl at 9:30 AM like the London games. Let them keep playing soccer like foot fairy’s. The Super Bowl is ours. This is the only country in the world where we find ways to include other countries more than we care about our own.
Lost all interest in NFL over last 2 seasons. It’s an embarrassment of greed. The ridiculous draft now, games in Europe. Insane prices.
Curious why you’re here if you aren’t interested in football.
There’s always spectators when a train careens off the rails.
Roger should be drug tested!
I’m thinking he could need a 6 month suspension and be banned from mentioning anything related to the League.
That mean we are watching the Superbowl at 9am if it’s in England?
The price of Super Bowl tickets is out-of-reach for most US fans, thus it doesn’t matter where they hold it.
Toronto
It’s not happening. Look at how Goodell phrased his response. “One day” suggests “when I’m not commissioner anymore.” Goodell has made plenty of stupid decisions (many at the owners’ behest) but it doesn’t really seem to me like this is one he wants to do… unless the owners force it for some reason.
I’m all for international regular season games–they’re fun and grow the league globally, but an international Super Bowl in the near future would be too soon.
What has Goodell really done for the fans of the US teams?
I don’t get more excited for some international game. I hate that the players have to travel so far and lose a true home game. This adds wear and tear to body.
Made the draft longer and more drawn out. Don’t care it switches cities, just care about picks.
Combine been lamer
Thursday Night games add more injuries.
Practices way less physical and time. Means the product suffers.
Games come on like 7 different stations. Trying to force subscriptions to dead espn +, peacock, prime, paramount +, now Netflix getting games.
If you assume that the broadcast time would still favor the US viewers, there is a narrow window in which to play the game to draw in the entirety of the Continental US. That window is roughly 3pm-8pm Eastern Time. This would put the game at Noon in California and stick Hawaii with 9am, compared to their current ~ 12:30 pm.
There aren’t many spots that could pull off hosting and not have the game in the middle of the night.
London, Australia, South America would be relatively doable.
Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo would be really early morning starts, like 7am, but could be done.
Nice to see a mention of Super Bowl XLVIII, The Greatest Super Bowl of All-Time.
The conference championship games have been more interesting than the Super Bowl as long as I can remember. The march to the conference championship is more urgent, the teams know each other better. The Super Bowl drags on too long with the extra week and endless hype. Many of the players are tired of the Super Bowl before kickoff finally arrives.
So who cares where the Super Bowl takes place. I don’t.