New to this fall football season, NFL has expanded internationally. The league has initiated a move outside of the country and brought the world of football beyond.
According to NFL Football Operations, Senior Executive Vice President of NFL Operations Troy Vincent said, “American football is for all. It’s a global game, an all-inclusive sport, that provides the opportunity for all ages to enjoy the values, fun and competitive environment unique to the sport of football.” He said, “The NFL is committed to expanding NFL action to international fans in their home countries and developing young athletes around the world.”
The NFL plans to play eight games outside of the U.S. in 2025 in addition to their set of games in the 2024 fall season. The countries included in the eight games are Spain, Mexico, Brazil, the UK and potentially Ireland if it is accepted.
This program is called the Global Markets Program and it hopes to engage with fans outside of the U.S. and commercially in international markets. NFL team owners voted in December to authorize the league to host eight games internationally in the 2025 season.
However, this is not a new idea. The NFL has played regular season games in the UK since 2007 but had not yet ventured into the Irish Sea. Dublin’s main stadium has hosted several college football games over the years but never a NFL regular season game which could be a possible site for the upcoming 2025 game if the league expands to Ireland. For Dublin, in the past the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears preseason game was hosted in Croke Park, but not a regular season or even playoff game.
According to Sportstravel Magazine, “Of the five clubs that are playing in the UK this year, four of those five clubs are part of our global markets program,” Henry Hodgson, general manager at NFL UK and Ireland said. “So more than ever, we have teams that are really incentivized to activate themselves in the market around the games.”
With going international, the NFL can promote themselves 365 days a year rather than the three days that the teams are actively playing there.
The league started their international season with their first ever game in South America on Sept. 6, 2024 with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil. This was the league’s first step in making the sport more accessible worldwide, and connecting more with fans outside of the country. The popularity of the NFL in Brazil is not a new phenomenon and has grown significantly over the years.
Following the game in Brazil, several other teams headed out to their international games all across the world despite the backlash the NFL received from telling their players to stay inside of their hotel rooms and to not allow family members to come. However, that is not the only issue with Brazil, also having a problem with the playing field as well as the atmosphere of the stadium.
Nevertheless, the teams have been receiving love and support from outside the States. Whether at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or at Wembley, the crowds are always large and loud in London. Both stadiums have seen a total attendance of nearly three million people in the 36 games that have been played so far. That’s an average of about 83,000 fans for each game at their stadiums.
With the support of fans in London, the NFL has made rumors of the city either hosting the Superbowl or being awarded a permanent expansion team that has already hosted. Both ideas are under question and nothing is set in stone. Hodgson has noticed with the fans from London and those who travel to London to see the game, the atmosphere feels like the Superbowl or playoff game.
While expansion seems to be going at a rapid pace, the NFL is very particular about the international locations that it travels to. They use a set of metrics that includes number of fans, fan engagement on social media and whether the proper infrastructure is available to host the games. There are hopes of more expansions to come and to see where they will all go next.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @chicagobears, Instagram
