Goodell: 'No Doubt' NFL Will Field Team Abroad
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- Roger Goodell told RTL/ntv during an interview with former NFL player Markus Kuhn that at some point there will be NFL teams outside the USA, adding 'I have no doubt that this will happen one day.'
- Goodell said international cities 'could host' a Super Bowl, but the league wants an NFL team permanently located in such a city first before awarding it the marquee event.
- NFL EVP Peter O'Reilly said in May that an international Super Bowl is 'not a front-burner issue' — a contrast with Goodell's longer-term openness.
- The NFL voted earlier this year to play as many as 10 international games starting in 2027, up from eight previously, and stripped teams' ability to protect any home games from international play.
- The NFL's 2026 schedule features nine international games — eight league-run contests plus a London game under the Jacksonville Jaguars' Wembley Stadium agreement — hosted in Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London (three games), Paris, Madrid, Munich, and Mexico City.
Why it matters: The league's removal of home-game protections and the jump to up to 10 international games from 2027 marks a concrete escalation beyond goodwill tours — teams can no longer shield any game from going abroad, raising the stakes for international cities competing to attract a permanent franchise and eventual Super Bowl.
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