NFL Intensifies Global Expansion Efforts with New International Games and Strategic Growth

The National Football League (NFL) has clearly stated its primary objective for 2025. Following the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil’s inaugural NFL game, the league recently announced Berlin as the newest international location to host a game, affirming its commitment to “continues to prioritise global growth and expand its global footprint”. The NFL’s international expansion has progressed swiftly in recent years, with 2024 marking another substantial period for enhancing its global presence. Key developments included a Super Bowl held in Las Vegas, the league’s initial game in South America, and an expansion into worldwide streaming, alongside the notable presence of Taylor Swift. However, 2025 is anticipated to be even more significant, as the NFL aims to establish itself as “a true global sport property”. Regular-season NFL games have been hosted in the UK since 2007. Since 2016, Mexico and Germany have also hosted games, and this current season saw Brazil’s debut game in Sao Paulo. Additionally, three games took place in London and one in Munich, bringing the total to five international games for the season, which equals the prior record. In a statement to reporters, NFL executive vice-president Peter O’Reilly affirmed that international expansion “is truly a clear, major priority for the league, with the collective goal of becoming a true global sport property”. He further commented, “We really feel that building. Games are a key part of that.” For 2025, the number of international games could reach eight. The NFL has committed to staging three games in London, and the announcement of a Berlin game follows the news of an initial game in Spain, scheduled for Real Madrid’s renovated Bernabeu stadium. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also “expects” the league to return to Brazil and Mexico in the upcoming season, while a first game in Ireland is considered “a possibility”. Should the NFL return to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro is a potential host city, and Dublin’s Croke Park would serve as Ireland’s venue. Looking past 2025, Goodell stated last month his intention to extend the regular season from 17 to 18 weeks and increase the international schedule to 16 games per season, both targets to be achieved within five years. The NFL has conducted site inspections in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, to assess the feasibility of hosting games in these locations. Munich and Frankfurt, which were Germany’s initial host cities, may be included again on the schedule if the NFL decides to hold multiple games in Germany. Further games in the UK are also a possibility, as the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been regular visitors since 2013, are contemplating bringing more games to London during the renovation of their stadium in Florida. Interest in the NFL’s championship game, the Super Bowl, is increasing both domestically and internationally. This year’s game drew a US audience of 123.4 million individuals, making it the most-watched broadcast since the 1969 Moon landing. The audience outside the United States saw a 10% increase, reaching 62.5 million. During the London games this season in October, Goodell suggested that the Super Bowl might eventually be hosted abroad. However, O’Reilly tempered this idea, stating that “the notion of an international Super Bowl is far from the front burner for us”. Instead, he clarified that the NFL’s primary focus is on “growing the number of regular-season games” and “trying to think of these games as mini Super Bowls as we go into these markets”. For many casual viewers, the half-time show and associated events during Super Bowl week hold more appeal than the game itself. The Sao Paulo game, for instance, attracted a sold-out attendance of 47,236, featuring a half-time performance by Brazilian pop star Anitta. Furthermore, an additional 25,000 fans participated in a complimentary three-day NFL event in the city, and the game generated a local economic impact of almost $62m (£48.9m). Since 2007, the cumulative economic impact from the London games has exceeded £1.6bn ($2bn), with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the first purpose-built NFL stadium outside North America, now hosting two games annually. “You could see and feel the impact in the stadium,” O’Reilly remarked after this year’s games. He added, “[The fans have] a deep passion. It was palpable, in what is really a world-class stadium. It had a bit of that flair of a mini Super Bowl as well.” Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of two games on Christmas Day. O’Reilly stated that the NFL, along with its clubs and partners, now operates with a “global mindset,” with 25 out of the 32 clubs participating in the league’s global marketing program. This program encompasses 19 countries, contributing to enhanced brand awareness and fan engagement. Concurrently, the growth of streaming services and NFL content across social media platforms is enabling the league to connect with a significantly broader and younger demographic. O’Reilly further commented, “Beyond the games themselves, there’s so much momentum globally year round that we’re excited about.” Given the NFL’s dominance in the US sports market regarding viewership ratings and sponsorship revenue, the international market is identified as the next significant area for expansion. While the exact revenue generated from the international market for the NFL is not specified, the league stands as the world’s most profitable sports organization, reporting $20bn (£15.7bn) in revenue for 2023. In comparison, the NBA generated $13bn (£10.2bn) during its 2023-24 season, and Premier League clubs collectively earned £6.1bn ($7.8bn) in 2022-23. The majority of the NFL’s revenue is derived from media rights. In 2021, the league finalized an 11-year agreement valued at $111bn (£87.3bn). The NBA’s current deal, also spanning 11 years, is worth $76bn (£59.8bn), while the Premier League’s agreement totals £10bn ($13bn) over three years. Nevertheless, in 2023, the NFL significantly improved its streaming capabilities by entering into a 10-year agreement with DAZN, enabling viewers in over 200 countries to access every game live. Subsequently, this May, the NFL reached a three-year agreement with Netflix, which reportedly paid $150m (£118m) for the rights to broadcast two live games on Christmas Day. The league has stated that these will be the first “truly globally distributed games” in world sports. An increased number of games will lead to more media rights opportunities, and a greater presence of international games could potentially create a fourth broadcast window every Sunday, due to time zone differences. This could result in over 12 hours of continuous, live NFL action each week, underscoring the “global mindset” adopted by the league and its teams.