March 31 – With round ball football from Europe trying to get the permissions to take regular league games to the US, the oval-ball NFL is already building its presence and bran in football’s major stadia.
The International Series of the NFL kicked off back in 2007 when the Dolphins hosted the Giants at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The series is played in the time between the Super Bowl finale and the regular season start and having once only taken place in London, with Wembley Stadium being the exclusive venue, it has nolw expanded to other stadiums, and two more countries: Germany and Mexico.
The NFL franchises that are scheduled to play in 2022 have been announced, with official dates to be announced.
United Kingdom, London
The UK will host the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and Jacksonville Jaguars in a set of games that are planned to take place in London. The Packers will become the 32nd team to compete here, and both them and the Jaguars will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Jaguars are the only ones that will play at a different location – Wembley Stadium. The Saints and Packers have been at the top of their respective conferences as of late, so these games will be especially entertaining to watch. The Saints were just below the Bucs in the NFC South this past season, and the Packers led the NFC South. In fact, expert NFL odds are already predicting the Pack to be top contenders for the conference title in the 2022-2023 season.
Mexico City, Mexico
When the International NFL Series began to expand, the first place they set their eyes on was Mexico. It makes sense after all, as Mexico and the US are neighbors, with many NFL fans spread across the country. Ever since 2016, the Estado Azteca in Mexico City has hosted a handful of American football teams, including the Patriots, Texans, Raiders, Chiefs and more. This year, the Arizona Cardinals will take on a team that is yet to be announced at the same venue, with an expected approximate attendance of 76,000.
Munich, Germany
Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena (with a capacity of 77,000) is the newest location to the International Series’ list of host venues, debuting this year. Super Bowl champions in 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been invited to play as the designated home team, with the designated visitor still yet to be announced. Another team will be invited to play here during the 2024-2025 season and then in 2023 the league has announced they will begin expansion into Frankfurt, with games expected to take place at Deutsche Bank Park.
The International Series is an important plank of the NFL’s international expansion. It is expected that more countries will join the initiative as the NFL brand continues to market itself abroad.
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