The NFL has made strides in broadening its reach to international audiences, as the league will play in four different countries in the 2024 season. During Week 1, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the first ever game in São Paulo, Brazil.
Read more: NFL Schedule Release: Every Primetime and Holiday Game For the 2024 Season
The other international games will take place during Week 5 with the New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings in London, England; Week 6 with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears in London, England; Week 7 with the New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars in London, England; and Week 10 with the New York Giants at Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany.
London has become a huge market for the NFL, and a game has been played there every season since 2007. The desire for American football overseas has grown through the years, and now the mayor of London wants to even bring the Super Bowl to the city.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 01: General view inside the stadium prior to the NFL match between Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 01, 2023 in London, England. The mayor of London… LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 01: General view inside the stadium prior to the NFL match between Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 01, 2023 in London, England. The mayor of London wants to host the Super Bowl at Wembley Stadium.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan recently spoke to reporters of The Athletic about how London has become a sports hub, and he’s attempting to ensure some of the world’s biggest events take place in the city.
According to Khan, “I want (Anthony) Joshua and (Daniel) Dubois to take place in London. I want international WrestleMania taking place in London. The Super Bowl is really important for us. We have a number of American football games and I want it to come here because we want American sports fans in Europe to come to London to watch them, not just go to America.”
A Super Bowl has not taken place on international soil, nor does the NFL have an international team just yet. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken about an expansion team being put together, and London would likely be the strongest candidate for the first international expansion team. However, he did state, “That’s beyond 10 years.”
Should that happen, it would be more plausible for London to host a Super Bowl. However, they would have to leapfrog all the cities that are constantly lining up to host the biggest NFL event.
So far, Super Bowl LIX in 2025 will be hosted at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana; Super Bowl LX in 2026 will be hosted at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; and Super Bowl LXI in 2027 will be hosted at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
London would have to get in line and wait for the next few years before the NFL even attempted to bring the biggest football game overseas. Will it be out of the question? Probably not — but it would likely be easier to bet on London getting a team first before it hosts the Super Bowl.
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