The National Football League could treble the number of games it stages outside the US as part of ambitious plans to build a global audience for America’s most popular sport.
The NFL, the richest sporting contest in the world, already stages games in the UK, Germany and — for the first time — this year, in Brazil, and will add a Spanish fixture in 2025. But the league’s leadership have raised the prospect of taking the annual total number of international games to 16 in future, up from five this year and as many as nine next year.
“We know our position. We’re not number one in these countries, but we’ve got a fan base who’s hungry for more NFL,” said Peter O’Reilly, who oversees the league’s international strategy. “It’s not as though fans can only be a fan of one sport . . . You’ve got passionate soccer football fans around the world who can walk and chew gum. They love their sport, and they’re drawn to the uniqueness of our sport.”
The NFL’s domestic media rights deals are worth $110bn over the 11 years through 2033. The league is looking beyond its stronghold in North America as sports leagues compete to build global brands and audiences in search of higher media and commercial revenues.
On Sunday, the New England Patriots will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at north London’s Wembley Stadium, the final showdown in a trio of high-stakes matches in the UK capital. The NFL has been hosting games in London since 2007.
According to ticket seller Viagogo, UK-based fans accounted for 53 per cent of ticket sales for the three London games, the first time they’ve outnumbered international purchasers. Overall, Viagogo reported a 41 per cent year-on-year increase in international NFL ticket sales on its platform for 2024-25, driven by the overseas games.
The NFL’s international push has helped fuel a race among European football clubs to build new infrastructure to host lucrative fixtures. Next year’s Spanish game will be held at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu, which recently underwent a €1.2bn renovation. The Carolina Panthers and New York Giants are heading to Germany next month to play at Bayern Munich’s home ground.
“There’s a real curiosity factor in Europe and, frankly, the rest of the world,” Mark Shapiro, president of media, sport and talent group Endeavor, told the FT. “They know what it is, it’s a proven commodity, it’s a winning franchise and winning platform, and they want to get their own taste of it.”
Overseas matches are only one piece of the NFL’s growth plans. Flag football — a non-contact version of the sport — is gaining ground at schools in the UK, aided by the NFL’s charitable arm. This week, Prince William played catch at a flag football event organised by the NFL’s charitable arm in south London.
Flag football was a “priority” for the NFL, O’Reilly said, particularly ahead of its Olympic debut at LA 2028. He saw this version of the sport as the “most accessible way to scale participation around the world” and hoped it could stay on the Olympic programme in Brisbane four years later.
“You look at that beach volleyball venue near the Eiffel Tower and that inspires you to think about, OK, what could a flag football venue look like in LA? How do you create that energy?”
Grassroots initiatives are key to ensuring that the NFL attracts new fans and participants around the world. Initiatives such as the NFL Academy, which has an elite development programme for student athletes at Loughborough University in the English Midlands, are designed to ensure that the NFL builds on the interest that its overseas matches create.
“We’re committed to [the UK market] for the long haul,” O’Reilly said. “The focus is on deepening the connection with fans and building something lasting, rather than just making a splash.”
The NFL’s current UK broadcast deal with Sky Sport — worth some $25mn annually — is set to end this season. ITV, a free-to-air broadcaster, screens the Super Bowl and two London games. Separately, UK fans can also watch via streamer DAZN, through a 10-year international rights deal that started in 2023.
O’Reilly said the league would consider a mix of streamers and traditional broadcasters when it came to renegotiate its UK rights.
“From a marketing standpoint, from a fan engagement standpoint, getting that teenage, early 20s fan to connect with the NFL in the way they may have fallen in love with it on free-to-air TV in the past, we’ve got to strike the right balance there.”
The most recent Super Bowl attracted 3.4mn unique viewers on Sky and ITV, making it the most watched NFL game on record for the two broadcasters.
The NFL’s domestic media rights will generate $110bn in revenue over the 11 years through 2033, and now include games carried on Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and several television networks.
The NFL’s expansion comes at a time when rival sports leagues are competing hard to reach global audiences, as streaming and social media open up new opportunities to attract new fans.
European soccer clubs hold pre-season friendlies and exhibition matches in the US, but they have been more cautious about staging official games abroad because of regulatory obstacles and sensitivities relating to passionate local fans.