There is money to be made overseas.
The National Football League is more than likely doing its due diligence on its 2025 performances in Dublin, Ireland, Madrid, Spain, Berlin, Germany, São Paulo, Brazil and in London, England and figuring out what the league wants to do internationally. The NFL will have games in Melbourne, Australia, Mexico City, Mexico and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil along with London next season. There were seven international games in 2025 and if the league remains at seven games for 2026, there will be a number of suitors who will be disappointed because the inventory of games does not match the interest. Could the NFL return to Dublin or to Berlin. In theory, the NFL could play as many as eight international games as the collective bargaining agreement between the players and owners limits the number of international games to eight. Of course, NFL owners could throw money at the players and amend the CBA and hold nine international contests.
NFL owners want to eventually expand to 16 international games per season and play an 18 game schedule. The National Football League Players Association would have to say yes to both proposals and right now there doesn’t seem to be too much of an appetite from the players to add a game to the schedule. Meanwhile, Goodell was impressed by Madrid. “We will be back, we are excited,” Goodell told Spanish media. “This has been a great opportunity for us. We always wait until we get through the games, but we want to be back here in Madrid (and) Spain. I think this is a great market for us.” The reason for playing games in foreign markets is simple. The owners not only make money from local promoters but new revenue streams are opened from local media deals to the ability to sell t-shirts and hats. Money is the name of the game.
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Roger Goodell
