Another international game could be added to the NFL schedule in 2024, according to league commissioner Roger Goodell.
Goodell spoke at a supporters’ forum in London, which will host three matches this season before the international roster travels to Germany for two matches in November.
One of those three London games kicked off this morning, with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The league recently confirmed that cities in Spain and Brazil were being considered as potential hosts in the future.
“I see us playing in more markets very soon, as early as next year,” Goodell said. “We actually have three or four markets here this weekend and next weekend that are interested in hosting a game.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says league could add another international game
The first game of the NFL season in London kicked off today between the Bills and the Jaguars.
The NFL declined to comment beyond Goodell’s responses at the fan event.
The league has made aggressive efforts internationally, adding a 17th game to the schedule to facilitate overseas games and granting teams marketing rights in various countries.
League officials visited Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil and Madrid in Spain where they “built relationships, looked at the stadiums there, looked at operational partners and infrastructure”, said the NFL’s Peter O’Reilly. ‘s executive vice president for club affairs and international and league events, during a recent media call.
Twenty-one teams will participate in the 2023 NFL Global Markets Program across 14 international countries. The league has expressed interest in offering games in several of these markets and has not ruled out the possibility of establishing a franchise overseas in the future.
Under the Global Markets Program, the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins hold commercial rights in Spain. The Dolphins are the only team with rights to Brazil.
With their newly acquired rights in Ireland, the Pittsburgh Steelers are attempting to expand their fan base there in hopes of eventually hosting a regular season game at Croke Park in Dublin.
Under the expanded schedule, NFC teams will play nine home games in 2024, which at least opens the door to the possibility of the Bears playing in Spain next season.
Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium has almost completed major renovations, including a soccer field that is shrinking to make way for a synthetic turf field that can be used for American football and can accommodate more than 80,000 people. Atlético Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium can accommodate 68,000 people.
Recent construction at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium could lead to an NFL game
The first regular season match in Germany last year was considered a success. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 in Munich.
The German city of Frankfurt hosts two games this season, the first being the Kansas City Chiefs against the Dolphins on November 5.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Jags beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 last week at Wembley Stadium. This is the first time a team has played back-to-back games on the road. They still have one year left on a three-year contract to play an annual home match at Wembley.
London has hosted 34 of the 46 regular season games hosted by the NFL internationally.
“We won’t stop playing in the UK, but we will play more in other markets because we want to be a global sport,” Goodell said. “We intend to be a global sport.”
Goodell answered the question about the “London franchise” before it was even asked on Saturday during the annual fan Q&A session. Potential scheduling issues during the playoffs would be “a difficult dynamic,” he said.
After London, the NFL will host two games at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany
Goodell has previously stated that London has the capacity to host two franchises and has even floated the idea of having one full European team division.
The Jaguars, however, opened a $120 million practice facility and unveiled concepts for a $1.4 billion stadium project that could tie the team to Jacksonville for decades.
Goodell has all but ruled out hosting a Super Bowl in London or any other city where there is no NFL team.
“For us to play a Super Bowl in a city where we don’t have a franchise, that would be pretty difficult to do,” he said.