This season had the most games in the ongoing NFL international series. London hosted a handful of games and has had a regular season game since 2007. Mexico City is on the schedule again and will host Monday Night Football this year. The first-ever game in Munich, Germany was held this past Sunday. The NFL doesn’t want to stop there. The NFL international series may be expanding as the league eyes more games abroad.
Where Is The NFL International Series Off To Next?
The league has been analyzing fan growth internationally throughout the past 15 years. They have certain agreements with certain areas that give that region a “home team”. For example, the country of Brazil is a home marketing area for the Miami Dolphins. The goal is for certain areas to latch onto a team. Brett Gosper, the NFL head of the U.K and Europe, stated that the latest analysis puts Spain and Europe, “very much on the radar”. It looks as though the NFL is looking to continue expanding the number of games played across the pond.
Ratings For The NFL International Series
The NFL international series draws a fair amount of viewership domestically. The tricky part of these games is the timing as many people are still waking up or at their religious services. All of the London games have averaged over 5 million viewers. The Munich game was no different averaging 5.54 million viewers. Having watched the games, the fans in the stadium are engaged and enjoying what they are seeing. While these views are nowhere near the almost 30 million that watched the Packers-Cowboys, the NFL international series is still growing.
France And Spain In 2023?
Spain already has home-team marketing rights for the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins. Whenever the NFL international series comes to Spain, I would expect that one of those teams will be playing. The more curious one is France. Currently, France does not have home-team marketing rights to any team. However, Europe is geographically so close together that it is likely that people in France have picked up a team if they sought it out. It is unclear whether France and Spain would be a 2023 expansion of the NFL international series or something further down the road.
Laying The Groundwork For Expansion
It is no secret that the NFL wants to expand permanently to Europe. Roger Goodell talked earlier in the year about how he would love to see a four-team division in Europe. London and Munich are heavily favored to get a team but with the additions of France and Spain to the NFL international series, they are now in play as well. With so many countries hosting games, could the NFL be looking at a massive expansion?
Could More NFL Teams Be Coming To Europe?
Goodell hinted at a four-team division but more could be in play. A massive expansion, especially internationally, comes with many issues. One of the main issues is travel. Traveling to Europe from the United States is rough on players and coaches. One solution to this would be to increase the number of teams in Europe. Those teams would play each other and would decrease the amount of travel time for all teams. The NFL international series games give the NFL an idea of which places could house a franchise.
NFL Is Not Just Looking At Europe
Much of the attention has been put on Europe but I wouldn’t discount other countries. Mexico City has a huge fan base. Canada would be an easy place for expansion as well. Brazil, Australia, and even Ghana have existing home-team media markets. If the NFL international series continues to expand to other continents, the NFL could have many locations suitable for a franchise.
Whether you like the NFL international series or not, it is here to stay. The NFL is investing heavily in international audiences and wants franchises to be international. This could happen, according to Goodell, as early as 2025. We will be keeping an eye out for the 2023 NFL international series announcement as they may indicate how serious the NFL is about international expansion.