What’s in store for the NFL’s plans to expand to international markets?

What’s in store for the NFL’s plans to expand to international markets?

The NFL has truly become a global product in recent years and it is clear that international expansion has become a priority for the league while Roger Goodell has been commissioner, and while the NFL international series has been an overwhelming success since its inception in 2007, there is a feeling around the NFL and amongst its fanbase that this is just the beginning. We could be getting more and more games played away from the United States, with the possibility of the Super Bowl even being played elsewhere, and there has always been the possibility that a franchise could even move abroad at some point. In this article we look at the different ways in which international expansion for the NFL could go, and what has already been done to make the league a worldwide brand.

The NFL international series

Before 2005, the NFL had made attempts to grow the game abroad, mostly through the ‘American Bowl’ games, which were preseason games played around the world, and ‘NFL Europe’, which was a developmental league based in Europe, which folded in 2007. That all changed when on October 2, 2005, the Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers 31 – 14 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico in the first ever NFL game to be played outside of the United States. This game drew a massive crowd of 103,467 and ran under the name ‘NFL Fútbol Americano’. The success of this game led to the NFL wanting more games played abroad, and the NFL London Games were born. The first of these was in 2007, when the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13 – 10. The series started with one game each year until 2013, where two were played and ever since there has been 3 or 4 games played in London each year. 

A huge moment for the NFL London Games came thanks to Premier League soccer team Tottenham Hotspur, who opened the doors to their state-of-the-art stadium in April 2019, which was purpose built to house NFL games, the first such stadium to be built outside of  North America. The soccer pitch is retractable, and underneath lies a full NFL turf pitch, and visiting teams have their own locker rooms built for an NFL roster. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosted its first London Game in October 2019, with a stated aim of becoming the UK’s home of NFL. Tottenham have agreed a 10-year staging contract worth £40million to host two regular-season matches at their stadium each year.

The Mexico Games at the Estadio Azteca have been a huge success also, with games in 2016, 2017 and 2019 all attracting crowds of over 75,000 people. In February 2022, Roger Goodell announced that the NFL will return to Mexico in 2022, and also announced plans for the newest country to host NFL games: Germany. The NFL is an extremely popular sport in Germany, and it made sense as the next country to host games. The Allianz Arena in Munich will host a game in 2022, while Frankfurt will host future games. “We are very pleased to welcome Munich and Frankfurt to the NFL family and are excited to reward our fans in Germany for their passion by bringing them the spectacle of regular-season NFL football,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We look forward to staging our first game in Germany at FC Bayern Munich’s fantastic stadium later this year and to exploring areas of broader collaboration with the Bundesliga.” Thanks to the NFL introducing a 17th regular season game to its schedule, there is now more scope than ever for games to be played abroad, and this could be just the beginning.

A Super Bowl abroad?

In February 2022, the Daily Mail reported that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was staging a shock bid to be the host of the 2026 Super Bowl. This would of course be the first time a Super Bowl was ever played outside of the United States, and while it is an ambitious plan for the London club, it seems unlikely. The time difference presents a serious stumbling block, as the kick-off would have to be extremely late to cater to American viewers, those of which on the West Coast are eight hours behind London time. Sources suggest that Stadium Australia in Sydney are also planning on a bid to host the game, where an afternoon kick-off would suit American audiences better. While it seems crazy now, with the NFL hosting more and more games abroad each year, the prospect of the Super Bowl being played outside the United States is not impossible. The Kansas City Chiefs are currently favourites for next year’s Superbowl in Phoenix, Arizona according to sportsbooks – you can check out these betting reviews to judge their credibility for yourself.

What about a franchise abroad?

Due to the overwhelming success of the NFL London Games, talk of a franchise in London, whether it be an expansion team, or a relocated current NFL team, has been talked about as a possibility for years. With the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium now capable of hosting NFL games consistently, it’s something that could genuinely happen. Billionaire owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC Shad Khan is based in London, and the Jaguars have made London their second home since the London Games have been around, and many have suggested they would be the team to relocate were it to happen. In 2018, Appearing on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” Roger Goodell said “this market, without question, could have an NFL team. There’s no question a team could be successful here.” Goodell has stated there are five key things needed in order for an NFL franchise to move to London: a fan base that will offer sustained support for the team and the right facilities in place. There must also be support from local government officials and the football logistics must all be in place and approved. Finally, a team owner must want to relocate his franchise. The first four are all no problem, and the London Games prove that to be the case, but the final one is where there could be an issue. It seems unlikely a team will want to uproot their entire franchise and move abroad, especially after the Jaguars have started plans to build a training complex in Jacksonville. It seems unlikely at the moment, but in the future, who knows.