Overview
- Commissioner Roger Goodell told German broadcaster RTL/ntv on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, that he has “no doubt” the NFL will one day place franchises outside the United States.
- The league is running a record nine regular‑season international games in 2026 and owners this year approved the option to play up to 10 international games beginning in 2027 as part of a deliberate expansion test.
- Operational hurdles such as long travel, player acclimation, competitive fairness and differing tax and contract regimes are major barriers the NFL must solve before basing teams overseas.
- Any change that expands the regular season or alters team commitments requires approval from the NFL Players Association under the collective‑bargaining agreement that runs through 2030, which limits near‑term structural moves.
- The push is commercially driven and incremental: the league is evaluating markets including London, Mexico City, Munich, Madrid and Paris while recalling past caution from the loss‑making NFL Europe experiment.