NFL goes truly global
The NFL will feature a record nine international regular-season games in 2026 — three in London and one each in Munich, Madrid, Paris, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and, for the first time, Melbourne, Australia — and owners are already debating expanding the international slate toward 16 games per season. (nytimes.com)
Commissioner Roger Goodell has publicly said he expects the league to reach 16 international regular‑season games “in the very near future,” projecting that expansion could happen within roughly five years. (cnbc.com) The NFL has begun assigning franchises as designated home clubs for overseas contests and confirmed the Los Angeles Rams will host the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sept. 11, 2026. (therams.com) The league announced the Dallas Cowboys will play at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 2026 and has described a multi‑year program for regular‑season games in Brazil that calls for multiple visits to Rio over the next five years. (nfl.com) Other confirmed franchise assignments include the Detroit Lions as the host club for the Munich game, the San Francisco 49ers as the designated home team for the Mexico City contest, and the Atlanta Falcons as a confirmed participant at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. (nfl.com) The NFL named the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders as the designated home teams for the three London games, with the Jaguars scheduled to play back‑to‑back fixtures at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium. (nfl.com) The league confirmed the New Orleans Saints will host the Paris match at Stade de France; French broadcaster RMC Sport reported the Saints would face the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25, 2026, though that opponent had not been officially confirmed by the NFL at the time of the report. (nfl.com) The NFL is expected to release the full 2026 schedule in mid‑May, when dates, kickoff times and remaining opponents for international fixtures will be revealed, and any move to routinely stage more than the prior CBA’s cap on neutral‑site international games (10 per season through 2025) would require negotiation with the players’ union. (sports.yahoo.com)
