At a meeting on Tuesday, NFL owners approved a plan to increase 10 international games beyond this upcoming season.

The move aligned with the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association regarding the maximum number of games the league can play outside of the USA.

"There's a path to 10 [international games] in 2027," said NFL Executive Peter O'Reilly, as per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

O'Reilly also mentioned that the league is continuing to explore international markets for the future, with parts of Asia, particularly Japan, being viewed as possible long-term options despite the logistical challenges involved.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed the league’s goal of having 16 international games in the future. This season will see a record of nine international games being played across four continents. 

The first regular-season games will be held in France and Australia, three in London, one each in Munich, Spain and Mexico City. Rio De Janeiro will be a first-time host this season. 

When asked about the possibility of hosting a Super Bowl internationally, O’Reilly confirmed the possibility once they understood the capabilities and partnerships of international stadiums.

He acknowledged the challenges abroad but also highlighted the importance of venues like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, built to host NFL games. 

NFL owners also voted to remove the option for teams to protect two of their games from being played internationally.

Fans React to NFL’s Decision on Adding International Games

With the NFL's decision to go ahead with hosting international games, many fans took to the NFL’s Dov Kleiman’s post on X to express their disapproval.

“This ***** over the season ticket holders. Now one of my home games is GONE and yet the tickets keep going up every year,” commented one fan. 

Another fan took into consideration the traveling time and expressed his disappointment, "It just makes me not to watch anymore. I'm not waking up at 530am in morning to watch a... game that they are taking from American fans and lose a home game..."

“The NFL is very revenue focused. Take note, fans,” said one fan while reacting to the league continuing to expand its international footprint and explore new overseas markets.

“Even if it happens, it won’t last. Even a lot of people at those games in Europe are American or have ties to America,” posted another fan, arguing that much of the overseas support still comes from existing American football audiences.

“Please stop this overseas c***,” wrote another fan who clearly wasn’t on board with the NFL’s growing push toward international games.

For many, concerns about ticket prices, lost home games, and inconvenient viewing times remain part of the conversation.

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Rudra Dubey