The National Football League has expanded its outreach overseas in recent years with the NFL International Series. Now that roots have been established in London, the league is turning its focus toward other parts of the globe.
There have already been three games played in the 2023 NFL International Series, with the Atlanta Falcons vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 45), Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills (Week 5) and Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans (Week 6) all being held in London.
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With the United Kingdom’s run as a temporary host done for the season, Germany is next. Frankfurt Stadium will host the Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs matchup in Week 9 followed by the Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots game in Week 10.
The NFL began exploring the expansion of its international series to Germany and Brazil in 2021. By 2022, multiple cities in Germany were competing for a game in 2023. While Frankfurt gets the first opportunity this time around, other countries are lining up to have that chance next year.
On the latest Inside Coverage podcast, Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein noted that the current buzz around the league is that Madrid has an early lead to serve as host for an NFL game in 2024. However, Brazil is reportedly closing the gap as of late.
“I think that Madrid had kinda been ahead, just from what I’m hearing around the grapevine. But now they’re sort of working through some things, which is why Brazil was catching up.”
Jori Epstein on NFL International Series expanding to Brazil or Madrid in 2024
The NFL is specifically targeting countries with Spanish ties due to Mexico. Estadio Azteca, which hosted the NFL in the Mexico Games from 2016-’19 and in 2022. However, the stadium is currently undergoing renovations to prepare it for the 2026 World Cup.
As a result, Brazil or Madrid is poised to take its place in 2024. Madrid, the capital of Spain has a population of more than 3 million people and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid CF, offers a capacity of nearly 85,000. Brazil would also be a suitable location, offering several NFL-caliber stadiums to choose from.
With the NFL’s popularity exploding in the United Kingdom and soon Germany thanks to the international series, putting games in Madrid or Brazil is the next step for the league’s global expansion. As for Mexico, the NFL could return in 2025 when stadium renovations will be completed.