NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he has “no doubt” NFL teams will one day play outside the United States.
“At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” Goodell said in an interview with former NFL player Markus Kuhn for German broadcaster RTL/ntv. “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.”
On the prospect of hosting a Super Bowl overseas, Goodell said: “There are definitely international cities that could host something like that. … But we would like to see an NFL team in such a city first.”
The NFL Players Association declined to comment on Goodell’s remarks about a potential international franchise.
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The NFL’s history with international regular-season games dates to 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Since then, the NFL has been expanding its global presence.
Wembley Stadium in London has been the most common international venue — the Jacksonville Jaguars have played at least one game there per season since 2013, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — but the league has also played games in Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Ireland and Spain.
There will be a record nine international games in 2026, including the league’s first trips to Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris. Other destinations for the upcoming season include Mexico City, Munich, Madrid and three games in London.
Goodell has made clear his dedication to making the NFL “a global sport,” and he has previously said that he envisions the league playing 16 games in international markets if the NFL moves to an 18-game schedule.
In September 2025, Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president for international and league events, spoke to the possibility of hosting a Super Bowl overseas. At the time, O’Reilly said it was not a focus.
“We’re clearly focused on the near term with Super Bowls in the U.S., given the great demand and the great impact of those Super Bowls in the U.S. and the great number of both interested and fantastic Super Bowl cities,” O’Reilly said. “Weather is always a factor as it comes to any of our events, certainly as it relates to the Super Bowl, but it’s not the only factor.
“And I think, more importantly, we would look at if and when, at some point down the line. If it made sense to consider an international Super Bowl, we would look at that among many other factors.”
