NFL International Series

• 1. Origins And Early Experiments

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  On the 2nd of October 2005, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31, 14 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This match drew 103,467 spectators and marked the first regular season NFL game held outside the United States. Before this moment, the league relied on the American Bowl for preseason exhibitions and NFL Europe as a developmental circuit. The American Bowls ended in 2005 while NFL Europa folded in 2007. Commissioner Roger Goodell began discussing overseas expansion immediately after these programs concluded. He considered hosting future Super Bowl games in London to build global appeal. The collective bargaining agreement enacted in 2021 later expanded the regular season to 17 games with one bye week. It also introduced at least four neutral site games each year starting from 2022.

• 2. London Expansion And Stadiums

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  The Miami Dolphins hosted the New York Giants in the first International Series game at Wembley Stadium in London on the 28th of October 2007. The Giants won 13, 10 after the first 40,000 tickets sold out within 90 minutes of sales. Wembley served as the exclusive home stadium for International Series games from 2007 through 2015. It continued hosting games through 2019 and again since 2022. The Jacksonville Jaguars took over as anchor tenants starting in 2013 and played annual home games there until 2024. In 2016, the league added Twickenham Stadium to its roster of venues. By 2019, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened to host additional matches. Three games were scheduled in London during the 2014 season including an early 9:30 am ET start time. This timeslot proved successful and remained standard for all London games in 2015 and 2016. An NFL bid to become anchor tenants of London's Olympic Stadium ultimately failed.

• 3. Global Venue Diversification

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  In 2016, the Oakland Raiders hosted the Houston Texans on November 21 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This marked the first International Series game played in Mexico outside the initial 2005 match. The series expanded further with games in Germany beginning in 2022. Allianz Arena in Munich hosted matches in 2022 and 2024 while Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt held games in 2023. Olympiastadion in Berlin will host a game in 2025. Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil, hosted games in 2024 and 2025. Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro is set to host three games over the next five years starting in 2026. Bernabéu in Madrid hosted its first game in 2025. Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, also hosted a game in 2025. Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia will host a game in 2026. The league announced plans to return to Mexico in 2026 after intermittent play between 2016 and 2022.

• 4. Marketing Rights And HMA Initiative

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  In December 2021, the NFL announced the International Home Marketing Areas initiative under which teams can submit proposals for marketing rights in specific foreign countries. Teams receive these rights for a period of five years allowing them to engage in activities typically restricted to their domestic markets. They may host in-person events sell sponsorships and merchandise with high priority assigned to playing international series games in those regions. Initially 18 teams were granted marketing rights across eight countries starting in January 2022. Two more countries were added to the list in May 2022. In 2023, the league added Austria Switzerland France and Ireland. By 2024, the program expanded to Argentina Colombia Japan Nigeria and South Korea. In 2025, expansion included Greece and the United Arab Emirates. As of May 2025 all 32 teams have been granted rights across 21 International HMAs.

• 5. Broadcasting Evolution And Logistics

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  From 2007 to 2014 every NFL International Series game was televised by either CBS or Fox through existing broadcast agreements. For the London series from 2014 to 2016 and in 2018 and 2021 one game aired outside these agreements. In 2014 the selected game streamed via Yahoo! Sports while 2015 to 2016 featured broadcasts on NFL Network. The Mexico series except for 2017 which aired on CBS has always appeared on ESPN as part of Monday Night Football. Germany games have exclusively aired on NFL Network since their inception. São Paulo series began with an inaugural game in 2024 airing on Peacock followed by a 2025 edition on YouTube TV and free on YouTube. Significant time zone differences created scheduling challenges from 2007 to 2015 when teams playing in London had their bye week in the following week. Indianapolis Colts volunteered to play the week after their London game in 2016 to test team fatigue. Teams based in Central Time Zone like those playing in Mexico City did not require a bye week immediately following their international match.

• 6. Future Franchise Possibilities

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  The success of the International Series has led the NFL to focus its global expansion aims on having a full franchise located in London. It is believed this would most likely be achieved through relocation of an existing franchise with the Jacksonville Jaguars most often linked due to their association with the series. The Jaguars have played more games in London than any other team totaling 12 matches between 2013 and 2024. Recurring rumors about potential relocation question the feasibility given the team plans to begin a $1.4 billion renovation of EverBank Stadium after the 2025 season. The team intends to play its entire home schedule away from Jacksonville in 2027 ahead of the project's scheduled completion in 2028. During a press conference in 2024 Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned scheduling regular games in London while the Jaguars' stadium undergoes renovation. This initiative allows the league to evaluate financial viability for a permanent team. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan also owns Premier League club Fulham F.C. which plays in West London. In 2018 Khan dropped his bid to buy Wembley Stadium for nearly $800 million.