NEW YORK, NY — The NFL announced on Thursday that five NFL teams would host games abroad in the 2023 season. The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots will have one "home" game played internationally.
The Bills, Jaguars, and Titans will host games in London. The Chiefs and Patriots will host games in Germany. The Bills and Titans will host their games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the Jaguars will host a game at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom.
"We could not be more excited to participate in a Germany game and introduce more of the world to Chiefs Kingdom this fall," Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. "Our team and our fans have had incredible experiences in London and Mexico City as part of the International Series in the past, and we look forward to helping the NFL in its effort to continue growing the game in Germany."
The Patriots are 3-0 when playing internationally. "We are thrilled to be selected to play in Germany this year," Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. "We are undefeated in our three previous international games, thanks in part to the outstanding support from our fans. We know that some of our most passionate fans reside in Germany, and we look forward to finally playing a game there. We know the fans will create an amazing atmosphere. We are sure it will be a memorable experience and one of the highlights of the 2023 season."
Destination cities for the two games in Germany will be announced later this year, with the NFL previously confirming that Munich and Frankfurt will stage games over the next four years.
The two German games follow a successful first international game in Munich last year, which saw a sell-out crowd at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena, significant fan demand for tickets, and record-breaking TV viewership of the game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 this season as fandom continues to grow for the League worldwide.
No games will be played in Mexico City next season due to the renovations and upgrades on Estadio Azteca.
"Growing the league and our sport internationally is a major strategic priority for the NFL, and we are excited to again be playing five games outside of the United States in 2023," said Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, Major Events & International.
"We know how important live regular season games are to our passionate global fans, and we thank our clubs for their strong, long-term commitment to this important initiative. Interest in our game globally is at an all-time high, and we look forward to returning to the UK and Germany in 2023 with some of the most iconic clubs and stars in the NFL."
The NFL continues to play games abroad in the hopes of growing international popularity and the possibility of adding a franchise abroad. "There's nothing imminent," said O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president, club business, major events, and international.
"There are certainly complexities to work through if you're going to have a team in Europe. That's our responsibility to continue to look and see what's viable. The fact we're having this conversation is the capacity that exists in these markets. We have terrific stadiums and good governmental partners. Those are building blocks, but it's a complex process that takes time and alignment, but it's our responsibility to do the work and the analysis."
With the expansion of the NFL season by one week back in 2021, four teams designated to have nine home games during the regular season are now set to play a neutral-site international game every year. The dates and times of these five games will be determined at a later date.
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