NFL pushing to expand international games to Germany originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It might be time to start packing your suitcases.
The 2021 NFL schedule was released last month, and one of this season’s highlights is the return of international play. The league has hosted games in Mexico in the past, and will be returning to London, England in 2021.
Now, there may be a new overseas suitor to host an NFL matchup in the future.
According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, the league would like to expand international play to Germany in either 2022 or 2023. King noted in his “Football Morning in America” column that Germany is the NFL’s fastest-rising international market — the NFL had 2.2 million Germans tune in to watch Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
King writes that the first German venue would likely be Allianz Arena in Munich, a 70,000-seat venue and home to the Bayern Munich soccer club.
In addition to an expansion of international games, NFL chief strategy officer Chris Halpin was asked by King to forecast what the NFL schedule could look like in five years. Halpin guessed there could be six total international games on the schedule by 2026: four hosted in England, one in Mexico and one in Germany.