What's Next For Nfl As Latest International Games Confirmed?

ByBen Collins

BBC Sport journalist successful San Francisco

The NFL's bid to seizure nan attraction of nan world's sports fans appears to cognize nary bounds.

America's biggest sports convention had already confirmed it will make its debut astatine 2 of nan world's astir iconic stadiums adjacent play - Rio de Janeiro's Maracana and nan Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Then connected Thursday, it utilized its biggest week of nan twelvemonth to denote that 2 of its astir iconic franchises will beryllium playing there.

With astir activities for Super Bowl week being held successful San Francisco, Thursday's news that nan 49ers will beryllium heading to Australia created a buzz successful 'The City'.

Then a fewer hours later it was revealed that nan Dallas Cowboys - known arsenic 'America's Team' - will caput to Brazil for nan NFL's first crippled successful Rio.

"Introducing 1 of nan league's astir iconic teams to nan Maracana Stadium marks a powerful milestone successful nan continued maturation of nan athletics worldwide," said Luis Martinez, wide head of NFL Brazil.

The Cowboys' force and day for nan crippled are yet to beryllium confirmed. The 49ers will face nan Los Angeles Rams, pinch nan crippled expected to return spot adjacent nan commencement of nan play successful September.

NFL executives person many times mentioned nan league's desire to go a "true world athletics property" and they will shape a grounds 9 world games successful 2026 - crossed 4 continents, 7 countries and 8 stadiums.

The NFL's world beingness has expanded dramatically complete nan past mates of years.

Five world games during nan 2024 play accrued to 7 successful 2025, and 9 will beryllium played overseas successful 2026.

That has included expanding into Brazil, Spain and Ireland, pinch Australia and France caller territories for 2026, erstwhile there will besides beryllium a return to Mexico.

Next play location will beryllium games successful London (three), Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio.

"We're successful respective caller markets, we're excited by that," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell this week.

"It's nan ambition that we person to beryllium a world sport, but it's besides nan request that we're having. We're proceeding from cities each complete nan world that want to big these games and they really want to get much American football."

Goodell has mentioned venturing into Asia while Abu Dhabi is 1 of nan cities wherever nan NFL has conducted a tract visit to analyse nan anticipation of playing a crippled there.

This week he reiterated that his eventual extremity is to play 16 world games each season, meaning each of nan NFL's 32 teams would play overseas erstwhile a year.

"I deliberation that's an important people for america to spell for, and I deliberation we're good connected our way," Goodell added.

Two westbound seashore teams were expected to make nan travel for nan NFL's first crippled successful Australia, to minimise nan effect of travel.

And nan Rams person been handed an brushwood pinch divisional rivals nan 49ers, who person besides been regular Super Bowl contenders successful caller years, truthful it makes for an appealing match-up.

After being named this season's Most Valuable Player successful San Francisco connected Thursday, Rams backmost Matthew Stafford said: "It seems for illustration a agelong flight, and I dream my back's not excessively sore afterwards, to beryllium honorable pinch you.

"But I americium excited astir it, it's a really cool opportunity. Playing an unbelievable squad for illustration nan 49ers is going to beryllium a immense challenge. It's a nosy rivalry truthful I deliberation nan fans successful Australia are going to get a awesome game."

David White, interim executive head of nan NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) said this week: "Our members admit nan world stage. They understand nan excitement that nan games are generating astir nan world.

"But we've sewage a batch of feedback astir not having bully experiences because it's inconsistent. It's a seemingly arbitrary attack that clubs return to travel."

Before this season's crippled astatine Wembley, for example, nan Jacksonville Jaguars flew retired to London early successful nan week, while nan Rams arrived nan time earlier nan crippled and returned to LA instantly aft their 35-7 win.

"Some teams will enactment adjacent nan believe site, immoderate will person lengthy commutes for nan players aft that travel, erstwhile they're getting complete pitchy leg," said White. "It depends which squad they play for, truthful it's nan deficiency of standardisation that feels arbitrary.

"The crippled requires a definite magnitude of rest, mentation and restoration successful bid for players to beryllium safe, truthful each of that needs to beryllium accounted for if we're going to talk astir [travelling] moreover further distant aliases having much world games. That's a matter of negotiation."

The NFL's existent Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) pinch nan NFLPA allows up to 10 regular-season games to held overseas per season.

The Minnesota Vikings became nan first squad to person 2 world games successful nan aforesaid play successful 2025, playing successful Dublin and London connected successive Sundays, and linebacker Jonathan Greenard said he "would not for illustration to do back-to-back [again]".

But White said players gave a "good woody of affirmative feedback because of nan measurement they went astir it. That is nan trick."

He added: "It is imaginable that 16 games worldwide gets to beryllium excessively much, but that's for nan players to determine erstwhile they person each nan information.

"We do person immoderate consciousness of what makes a affirmative acquisition erstwhile travelling internationally, and we're collecting data.

"It's astir making judge that nan players are astatine nan centre of that debate."