American football’s NFL owners have voted to increase the number of regular-season games it will stage overseas to 10 from next year as the league continues its internationalization project.
The figure builds on the record nine regular-season games scheduled to be played outside the US this season, with games in Melbourne (Australia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), London (UK), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Munich (Germany), and Mexico City.
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The 10 matches do not include the Jacksonville Jaguars’ annual game in London, meaning there could be 11 games played internationally next year, should the NFLPA players' union approve it.
Speaking to the official NFL.com website, NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said: “Our strategy is not one and done, so our goal is to go back to those markets that we’re establishing.
“There are parts of the world that we are looking at for future years, maybe not ’27, beyond. Asia would be an example of that. Japan would be a good example within Asia of a market that has complexity.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has previously said that the league’s long-term ambition is to stage 16 games per year, allowing for every team to have one game played outside the US every season.
Goodell’s dream of 16 international games, with each team playing abroad once per year, is likely to have to wait until the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires in 2031 and a new model is negotiated, but in maximizing the number of new markets the league visits before then, he is laying the groundwork for greater expansion later down the line.
During the NFL Owners’ Meeting, the league also voted to strip teams’ ability to protect home games from being played internationally starting in 2027.
Under current NFL rules, teams with a ninth regular-season home game are eligible to host an international game, while protecting two games from being moved from their home stadium.
The rule change opens the availability of teams, meaning the NFL can choose the best matchups to stage overseas.
Addressing the possibility of the flagship season-ending Super Bowl being staged overseas, O’Reilly said: “I don’t know if I can fully parse that in terms of feasibility versus likelihood, but if you’re just talking feasibility, obviously, as we go to new stadiums around the world, we’re getting a better sense of those buildings.
“And, as we go around the whole world, we get a sense of the passion there, and the partnerships, governmental partnerships, private sector partnerships, and otherwise.
“So, I think all of that strengthens the foundation that you need to perhaps someday, on a far-off horizon, have an international Super Bowl.”
Meanwhile, the city of Nashville, Tennessee, was announced as the host for the 2030 edition of the Super Bowl, which will be staged at Nissan Stadium, the soon-to-be-completed home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
It will be the first time Nashville will host the flagship game, having hosted the NFL draft in 2019 and drawing 600,000 fans.
Goodell said in a statement: “The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville was one of the greatest fan events in our history.
“Super Bowl LXIV at the new stadium is the next step in this remarkable football journey. The vision of [Titans owner] Amy Adams Strunk and the Tennessee Titans helped make this moment possible.
“With great partners at the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. and Tennessee Titans, we can't wait to put on an unforgettable show in 2030.”
The new venue, which sits directly opposite the current Nissan Stadium, is due to be completed in February 2027.
The next Super Bowl is due to be staged at SoFi Stadium in California on February 14, 2027, and the 2028 edition will be played at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Falcons.
In March, the NFL owners voted to stage the 2029 Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
Another decision ratified by the NFL owners during the spring meeting was awarding hosting rights for the 2028 NFL Draft to Minneapolis, with the city having staged the Super Bowl in 2018.
The 2026 NFL Draft was staged in Pittsburgh last month, with the 2027 edition scheduled for Washington, D.C. The event set an attendance record in NFL Draft history, with 805,000 attendees over three days from April 23 to 25.
