Last season’s game between the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders in Mexico City was a smashing success. It brought in 76,000 fans to Estadio Azteca and generated $45 million in revenue for the city.
The NFL itself has continued to look to build up its brand internationally, looking at possibly playing games in far off regions such as China.
This year, the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders will take to Mexico City for a game between what promises to be two of the best teams in the NFL.
In continuing with this theme, Mexico itself is looking to expand its relationship with American football.
“We need to keep working hard to be as successful as last year in order to have a chance to continue with this project and that the game is here to stay,” NFL Mexico director Arturo Olive said, via The Canadian Press.
It defintely makes sense that the United States’ southern neighbor would want more NFL football in its nation. Last season was an absolute boon. And if the NFL itself is looking to continuing to expand internationally, Mexico represents the most-realistic scenario logistically. In fact, concerns have already delayed a potential game in China (more on that here).
There were, however, some issues relating to player safety last year. Texans players were told to stay in their hotel in order to avoid crime. And as Pro Football Talk notes, there were some homophobic slurs chanted at kickoff.
Even then, Mexico seems to be a prime market for the NFL to continue expanding into. And if Olive had his druthers, that would include the country hosting training camps throughout the summer.
It’s most definitely something to keep an eye on here over the long haul.