Despite concerns that the NFL’s fifth annual London game wouldn’t be sold out, the NFL says that it is.
“The game is sold out for TV purposes and will be televised in London,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells PFT via email. “We expect the attendance to be about 75,000, which would likely be the third-largest NFL crowd on Sunday, trailing only the Cowboys and Jets home games.”
It’s also 20,000 or so more than would have attended the game in Tampa.
Last year’s London game, between the Broncos and 49ers, had an official attendance of 83,941. In 2010, the game between the Pats and Bucs drew 84,254. In 2008, the game between the Saints and Chargers had an attendance of 83,226. In 2007, the first years of the series, the Giants and Dolphins generated a crowd of 81,176.
Thus, 75,000 will be significant lower than all other Wembley Stadium regular-season crowds. But not low enough to keep the folks in London from being forced to watch Benny Hill reruns, or whatever it is that they watch on television when NFL games aren’t on.