As NFL owners continue to slog through a fight to get the game back in the United States’ second-biggest market, they’ve extended their deal to take it beyond our borders.
The league announced they had approved a resolution to extend their international series of regular season games through 2025, with the ability to take games beyond the United Kingdom.
There has been talk of Germany, Mexico and perhaps Brazil hosting games in the future, and this opens the door for that.
“This marks an important step in our long-term international growth,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Fans in the UK have responded incredibly well to the regular-season games we have played in London since 2007. They have demanded more NFL games, and we have worked to accommodate them. We think it’s time to expand our International Series to other countries and respond to the growing interest in our game not only in the UK, but elsewhere around the world.”
Next year’s international games will be announced later this fall. The league had previously agreed to a 10-year partnership with English Premier League soccer club Tottenham Hotspur for two games per year at their new stadium, which will open in 2018.
While London may never be logistically feasible to host a franchise, it’s clear the NFL wants to add inventory there, as they’ve gradually built to three games this season.