City of Dublin News & Rumors

NFL Aiming For Eight International Games In 2025; Australia A Future Priority

November 12th, 2024 at 1:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s latest international slate wrapped via the Giants-Panthers Germany matchup, and the days of five games on foreign soil per season appear to have ended with that contest as well. As greater ambitions are on the NFL’s agenda down the line, the league has a near-future aim to reach its current maximum for non-American contests.

Roger Goodell told the NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe the league is looking to play eight foreign games in 2025. That is the maximum number currently allowed. Given the veteran commissioner’s sway, it is probably a good bet half the league’s teams — or nearly half, depending on the Jaguars’ plans — will be playing a game outside the country next season.

Goodell wants another Brazil game scheduled and is looking for a 2025 Mexico date as well. The league is set to debut in Spain next season, and Goodell expressed hope for a 2025 Ireland game. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicates an Ireland game will be on tap for the ’25 season. Dublin has been rumored as a potential site for a bit, and it appears an announcement pertaining to an expansion into that country is in the works.

Next season will feature the London contests, with Germany again set to receive a game. Specifically, Berlin is a target. Goodell said (via The Associated Press) the NFL is working “very hard” on bringing a game to Berlin. The NFL’s previous Germany forays have included games in Frankfurt and Munich.

A December 2023 vote led to the trail clearing for seasons including eight international games. While the slate is at eight, an Australia debut should probably be expected. A game down under in 2026 is in play, Jones adds, noting the NFL — beyond its London base — has devoted its most international resources to Australia. The continent has come up regarding an NFL game previously as well, with Jones adding the prospect of Pro Bowl Games being played there is also on the table.

Olympics buffs who recall the Sydney and Tokyo Games will remember the difficulties a time difference of this sort presents. Australia is 16 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone now and 14 hours ahead in September, creating challenges. While some teams have chosen not to take their bye week after a London game, clubs would almost be forced to do so following an Australia assignment. With eight foreign games more likely than not to be on the 2025 and ’26 schedules, the NFL may not be able to offer byes to every team coming off games in Europe. That will be an interesting subplot to follow, as competitive balance will soon be an issue if/once international games cover nearly half the league.

The NFL has conducted site visits to Melbourne and Sydney, Jones adds, pointing to one of these cities being selected for the 2026 Australia introduction. France, Sweden, Italy and Abu Dhabi have come up as possible future sites, though none is mentioned as a candidate to host a 2025 game. Goodell brought up a 16-game international slate, a prospect that would level the playing field. That may not be coming in the near future, but NFL fans should prepare for it down the line.

Roger Goodell: Super Bowl Outside U.S. A Possibility

October 17th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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.

NFL Considering Regular Season Games In Dublin, Paris

May 27th, 2024 at 12:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

2024 will see the NFL’s first game played in Brazil as the league continues to explore new foreign markets. A number of other host countries are also receiving consideration with notable expansion on that front potentially on the horizon.

Dublin and Paris are on the league’s radar, Henry Hodgson recently confirmed. Hodgson serves as the general manager of the NFL’s UK office, one of the departments playing a key role in evaluating new venues and hosts for NFL games. France had previously been named as a potential host country in the near future, but the same was not true of Ireland.

“There’s a feasibility study, as we would call it, in a number of different European cities and Dublin is one of those,” Hodgson said (via Laura Colgan of The Irish Times). “Looking at the stadiums, taking local meetings… we’ll take away all of that information, digest it and determine what the next steps are.”

The league has followed a similar process in the past, and that led to agreements with Sao Paulo and Madrid to host regular season games. Croke Park and Aviva Stadium are the venues under consideration in Dublin at this time. The former was the venue for a preseason contest between the Steelers and Bears in 1997, and it has a capacity of over 82,000.

The Steelers – a team which has a formal partnership in place with the Gaelic Athletic Association – are among those in the NFL with international marketing rights in Ireland and Northern Ireland. That is also the case for the Jaguars, while the Jets added Ireland this offseason. At least one of those teams would likely take part in a game held there in the future.

As of now, the Saints are the only team with marketing rights in France. They would represent a logical candidate to play a game in Paris, one of several sites being considered in some capacity. Sweden and Australia have also been floated as possibilities, although logistics in the latter country in particular are a notable challenge which would need to be overcome relative to those of playing in South America or Europe.

“We continue to look at and have interest in all the major cities across Europe,” Hodgson added. “For now, Paris, Dublin – obviously we’re heading into Madrid in 2025 – those are the ones we’re most focused on in Europe.”