Next season, the NFL is taking a more global approach with eight games outside of the U.S.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed the news over the weekend ahead of the Giants-Panthers game at Allianz Arena in Munich, telling Colleen Wolfe on NFL GameDay Kickoff that the league is looking to play upwards of eight games in 2025.
“We are definitely going to Spain, we announced that,” Goodell said. “We expect to return to Mexico City. We expect to return to Brazil. We will certainly be back in the U.K. And we’re also looking at the potential of another game in the U.K. area in Ireland, possibly. That’s a possibility. And we’ll certainly be back here in Germany. So if that total’s eight, that’s what we’re shooting for.”
While the NFL has played regular season games in the UK since 2007, it’s never hosted an event in Ireland. This would mark the sixth different country to participate in the NFL’s International Games, joining the UK, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and Spain.
While nothing has been announced at this time regarding a match in Ireland, possible venues are already being tossed around, including Dublin’s Aviva Stadium or Croke Park. As for the teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a strong candidate; their former owner and current director of business development and strategy Daniel Rooney said last year the organization has “aspirations long term” to play in Ireland.
Goodell has been very open about his ideas to expand the NFL internationally and has prioritized games overseas. Last month, Goodell was asked about the idea of playing a Super Bowl outside of the U.S.
“We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city — that was always sort of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises,” Goodell said. “But things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”