Roger Goodell straight-up dropped a bomb on a German television station last week, saying he has “no doubt” the NFL will eventually have teams based outside the United States. This isn’t just talk, either. The league is already deep into its global takeover, with a wild 16-game international lineup on the horizon that would have every single team playing a game overseas every year. Goodell said it himself: “At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” and “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.” You hear that? That’s the sound of the league getting even bigger, and frankly, it’s pretty wild to imagine.
The NFL’s Global Playbook: How They’re Making It Work
The global footprint of the NFL keeps expanding every single year, moving way past being just a novelty. We’re already up to nine games played outside the United States, stretching across four different continents! Think about the 2026 lineup alone: London, Paris, Madrid, Munich, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City. That’s a serious reach. One of the coolest parts is that 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff for those European games. It means you get an afternoon game over there, which translates to an entire day of live football for us, going right into the afternoon slots and then prime time. We’re talking 14 hours of non-stop football if you want it! And get this, the logistics of all that travel? They’ve apparently ironed it all out. An overseas game isn’t the scheduling nightmare it used to be. Teams don’t even always choose a bye week afterward, meaning they can recover and be back for a regular Sunday game the very next week. The league is comfortable with its 32 teams, and it has a proven scheduling model and playoff structure that works. They’ve also got teams in all the U.S. markets they want, so looking internationally makes total sense for the next big leap. There’s even talk of an international division with four teams down the line, where visiting opponents could play back-to-back games overseas to cut down on travel impact. Plus, aviation technology is supposedly getting faster, which would make trans-Atlantic flights less of a hurdle.
Who’s In the Running for an International Franchise?
So, if the NFL is really going to plant a team full-time somewhere else, where are they looking? Toronto is number five on the list, and it’s an interesting half-measure. The Buffalo Bills actually played regular-season games there every year from 2008 to 2013. It’s only about 100 miles from Buffalo, so it would expand the U.S. market without the huge travel headaches of crossing the Atlantic. Toronto has been rocking MLB and NBA franchises for decades, so they know how to support pro sports. But, and this is a big one, those last Bills games weren’t at full capacity at the Rogers Centre. Plus, the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL had the lowest attendance for the ninth straight year in 2025, averaging only about 15,000 fans. Mexico City has hosted games too, but it’s called an “unlikely” spot for a full-time team. Coming in at number four, Madrid, Spain, is seriously making moves. Spain just joined the NFL’s global family last year, and the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins drew a massive crowd of 78,610! That’s a huge turnout. They’re even earning a return trip this year for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons in November. And get this, the league agreed to a multi-year partnership with the City of Madrid back in February. That’s a strong signal, and it makes you wonder what’s next.
The league is dropping hints about “one clear and obvious favorite” for an international team, and with Madrid locking down that multi-year partnership and bringing in huge crowds, it’s hard not to connect the dots. You’ve got to watch what happens with the Bengals and Falcons game in November. It feels like Madrid is showing the NFL exactly what it wants.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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