NFL ownership votes to double international games inventory beginning in 2025

[Corbin]

NFL ownership votes to double international games inventory beginning in 2025

National Football League clubs today voted to approve an increase in league-operated international game inventory from four (4) to up to eight (8) games a season beginning in 2025, as the league continues to emphasize global growth as a major strategic priority.

With this vote, beginning in 2025, the NFL will have the right to schedule up to eight regular season games per season internationally. New markets and host cities/stadiums for future seasons will be announced at later dates.

The vote on 2023 Resolution JC-7 was taken at the 2023 December League Meeting in Dallas.

"Becoming a global sport is a major strategic priority for the league and 32 teams," said Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner. "Increasing international game inventory allows us to grow our global presence and share our game with exciting new markets to connect with more fans around the world."

"As a league, we welcome the update to this resolution that will ultimately see us play more games internationally than ever before, helping us to expand our global footprint and connect our teams and athletes with new audiences," said Joel Glazer, chairman of the NFL's International Committee and owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "International games have been a huge success, and we are excited for the opportunity to share American football with more fans from around the world in the years ahead."

The NFL also announced it will play a regular season game in São Paulo, Brazil -- the first ever in South America -- in 2024. With the game in Brazil, the NFL will have played a game (preseason or regular season) in five of the seven continents around the world.

In addition to the game in São Paulo, the 2024 NFL International Games will see three games played in London: two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a third at Wembley Stadium, where the Jacksonville Jaguars will play a home game as part of a multi-year partnership. A fifth game will see the NFL back in Germany for a third consecutive year, returning to Allianz Arena in Munich.

The NFL started playing regular season games internationally in 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals hosted the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Since then, a total of 50 international regular season games have been played, with London (36), Toronto (6), Mexico City (5), Frankfurt (2) and Munich (1) -- all playing host to NFL teams.

As part of the updated resolution approved by NFL ownership, no club would be required to play more than one regular season game outside of North America unless they specifically choose to.

Each club designated to play in an international regular season game will be permitted to select two of their regular season opponents that will not be eligible to be scheduled as their opponent in an international game. International games may not be scheduled after Week 14 of the NFL season.

 

[Corbin]

São Paulo, Brazil to host regular-season game during 2024 NFL season

The NFL announced on Wednesday that there will be an International Series game played in São Paulo, Brazil, during the 2024 season.

www.nfl.com

São Paulo, Brazil to host regular-season game during 2024 NFL season​

DALLAS -- The NFL, which already plays games each year in the United Kingdom and Germany, will head to a new continent in 2024, with a regular season game to be played in São Paulo, Brazil, the league announced on Wednesday. The date and time of the game and the teams that will play it have not yet been announced.

São Paulo was chosen over Madrid, Spain, although Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president of club business, international and league events, said Madrid could host a game as soon as 2025.

"The good news is both are really viable and interested in hosting games," O'Reilly told NFL.com. "Pending having the opportunity to play in Madrid and Brazil in the future, we would be excited to do that. The reason we went first with Brazil really ties to going to a new continent for the first time, into South America for the first time for the regular season."

The 2024 Brazil game is likely just the start of the NFL's plans to play in more international cities. Owners, on Wednesday, passed a resolution that compels each team to play an international game every four years -- meaning the NFL could schedule as many as eight international games starting with the 2025 season. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a separate agreement to play a game at London's Wembley Stadium, which is not counted as part of the league's total. In 2024, the Jaguars will play at Wembley, there will be two games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and a game in Munich, Germany, in addition to São Paulo.

The Brazil game will probably be played in one of the NFL's prime-time windows or at 4:25 p.m. ET as part of a doubleheader. In the early part of the NFL season, São Paulo is one hour ahead of the Eastern time zone. In the latter part of the schedule, it is two hours ahead, which means that, unlike the games played in Europe, the Brazil game could not be played as part of the 9:30 a.m. ET window that the NFL is also hoping to expand in coming years. The popularity of Premier League soccer games in the United States has shown that fans will watch games in the morning. And that 9:30 a.m. ET window is particularly appealing for the NFL's efforts to cultivate fans in Asia and Australia, for whom the Sunday afternoon windows occur overnight.
Brazil has been on the NFL's radar for a while. The league counts 38 million fans in Brazil, and has seen increased interest in recent years around league events, like a Super Bowl watch party it hosted, and broadcasts of the Super Bowl and playoff games over free television. The NFL also has a strong social media presence in Brazil, and that has helped attract younger fans. São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil and a commercial capital. And São Paulo has an NFL-suitable stadium in Corinthians Arena. The stadium was completed in 2014, and seats about 49,000 people, which is slightly less than the capacity for the Frankfurt games played this season. Corinthians Arena has already hosted historic events. Six matches, including the opener, were played there during the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup and it also hosted soccer matches as part of the 2016 Summer Olympics that were based in Rio de Janeiro. O'Reilly said Rio could be in the mix to host an NFL game in the future.

The expanded inventory of international games means the NFL can continue playing two games at Tottenham, have games in Germany and Brazil, resume playing in Mexico City when stadium renovations are completed, and schedule even more games in new places, including Madrid and potentially France. When the NFL went to a 17-game regular season, there was considerable conversation about how many of the additional games would be played internationally. At the time, the league settled on four games because, O'Reilly said, other locations had not been fully vetted. Until recently, there had also been some hesitation among owners about having their teams play overseas because it could mean giving up a game played at their home stadium. But momentum seems to have shifted with the success and popularity of games in Tottenham and Germany, the assignment of team marketing rights to international markets and the recognition that international growth is a top strategic initiative for the league.

 

[AZRams]

Oh goodie...

 

[I like Rams]

Is the point to have teams in these places, or just gain viewership overseas? I'm not the brightest guy in the world, but I can see clear as day as how having teams overseas would be a disaster. Its already a disadvantage for teams traveling across the country. Having teams overseas would be an even larger disadvantage and would most likely cause those teams to be bottom of the barrel every year. Not to mention, No one is going to want to play in a different country. At least not anyone with real talent.

 

[Angry Ram]

Is the point to have teams in these places, or just gain viewership overseas? I'm not the brightest guy in the world, but I can see clear as day as how having teams overseas would be a disaster. Its already a disadvantage for teams traveling across the country. Having teams overseas would be an even larger disadvantage and would most likely cause those teams to be bottom of the barrel every year. Not to mention, No one is going to want to play in a different country. At least not anyone with real talent.

There's plenty of teams at the bottom of barrel right here in murica already dude lol

 

[Ramhusker]

Get a feeling your season tickets won't be any cheaper with one less home game for half the league.

 

[blackbart]

Just start a freaking league in Europe again and quit stealing games from teams in the US . If the fans there want football they’ll show up for a full schedule.

 

[OldSchool]

Also with Super Bowl XVI coming to SoFi in 2027 that'll be part of a big 3 year run. World up in 2026 and Olympics in 2028.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

I think it would be cool to do the 17th game for each team (not all in week 17, could be anytime during the season) at a neutral site either in the US or overseas. So each team would have 8 home games, 8 away games, and one away game that's neutral.
Like play a game in St Louis or something, or anywhere that has a stadium big enough to host an NFL game. Some of the college stadiums hold more people than the NFL stadiums. Would be interesting and fun.

 

[I like Rams]

There's plenty of teams at the bottom of barrel right here in murica already dude lol

I'm talking about being perpetually bottom of the barrel due to geographical issues and talent not wanting to move overseas. Teams here, unlike the few with terrible ownership, have the chance to succeed. Us being a prime example.

 

[Q729]

Is the point to have teams in these places, or just gain viewership overseas? I'm not the brightest guy in the world, but I can see clear as day as how having teams overseas would be a disaster. Its already a disadvantage for teams traveling across the country. Having teams overseas would be an even larger disadvantage and would most likely cause those teams to be bottom of the barrel every year. Not to mention, No one is going to want to play in a different country. At least not anyone with real talent.

Personally I'm leaning towards the increasing-viewership-overseas angle. We all know these greedy bastards rake in their shit from the TV contracts. I doubt they are planning to have full-time teams out there. The logistics are just too shitty for that, including what you mentioned about anyone with real talent not wanting to play overseas.

 

[Faceplant]

I've always wondered how the IRS handles taxes for these games.... Probably something I can Google, but I just like being confused I guess.

 

[Q729]

Also with Super Bowl XVI coming to SoFi in 2027 that'll be part of a big 3 year run. World up in 2026 and Olympics in 2028.

Eff the 9ers and Bengals!