Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL is planning to go forward with plans to play four games in London and one in Mexico City this season.
League officials said on a conference call with the media today that they are planning to play the full season as scheduled, and that includes all of the previously planned international games.
However, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s head of Football Operations, added this caveat: “Unless the medical community tells us differently.”
At this point, there’s simply no way of knowing what the situation will be when the NFL is playing international games, which is typically in October or November. It’s possible that overseas travel will be locked down in the fall, but it’s also possible that we’ll have turned a corner on COVID-19 testing and treatment and it will be safe to send NFL teams overseas to play in front of huge crowds.
Like everything else in 2020, the NFL’s plans are subject to change. But its current plans are to keep playing overseas.