Commissioner Roger Goodell generated buzz before Week 5 by revealing the National Football League is exploring expansion in the future with a European division. While it created a ton of excitement for NFL fans overseas, it appears the NFL International Series is the only access to football that fans will have internationally for some time.
Already the most popular sport in the United States, the creation of the NFL International Series is helping football gain popularity quickly across the globe. Launched in 2007, a move to increase league revenue and exponentially grow the fan base started with one game per year from 2007-’11 before steadily increasing beginning with two games in 2013 and then three games from 2013-’16. Now, there are five games on the NFL schedule being played overseas this season.
With an audience across the globe that gets bigger every year, the league increased its reach in 2022 with three games in London, one in Munich, Germany and one other matchup played in Mexico. It’s only the beginning of the league’s plans as Brazil, Canada and a variety of other countries loom as future hosting sites for a game.
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Before Sunday’s matchup between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Goodell told reporters that league officials are looking into expansion in Europe. As he described it, it would be multiple teams because creating a European division would be easier than having one single team forced to travel to the United States multiple times per season.
The fan support is certainly there for it. The Giants vs Packers game brought 61,024 fans to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, setting a new single-game record for the NFL overseas. However, any excitement Goodell’s comments generated for fans in London likely won’t be met with expansion in the near future.
Why NFL expansion to Europe is unlikely
Addressing Goodell’s comments, Peter King of NBC Sports explained that he doesn’t believe there is any momentum right now for either a single permanent franchise overseas or even multiple teams. As the league insider explained, there are a variety of issues standing in the way and the idea might even be losing support among owners.
“But the issues would start with whether the 32 owners want to expand by four teams, thus making the NFL pie divisible by 36 instead of 32. Goodell holds a lot of sway in terms of being able to convince owners of what’s best for all.”
Peter King on the dynamics of NFL expanding
The NFL is generating record-setting revenue on a yearly basis and that is only going to continue in the years ahead. In order for expansion to be approved, Goodell would need the support of team owners in a vote. While selling the rights to new franchises would generate billions of dollars for the league, it would also mean further splitting up the revenue generated every season.
Furthermore, per King, it seems that the only possibility for more NFL games being played in Europe is by expanding the international series and requiring more clubs to play their home games in London or other countries.
“There used to be momentum, but now I think the logistics (for instance, would a team in Europe need cap advantages to lure players to sign there?) are too daunting.”
Peter King on declining support for NFL Expansion into Europe
Keep in mind that this seems to be the perspective of team owners, people who focus entirely on the financial impact of NFL expansion overseas. Increasing the number of teams and placing them in Europe would also likely receive strong pushback from the players’ union. For all those reasons, football fans in Europe will likely be waiting a long time before they have their own local team to root for and support in person.