The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will all have international games during the 2023 NFL regular season.
The Chiefs and Patriots will play in Germany. The Bills, Titans and Jaguars will play in London. The Bills and Titans are the two home teams designated to play two games at Tottenham Hotspur, while the Jaguars will host a match at Wembley Stadium as part of their multi-year commitment to play in the UK.
The league announced its plans Thursday.
Opponents and match dates and times will be announced when the full schedule is announced later this year.
There will be no international match in Mexico in 2023 due to renovations taking place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
“We have a long history and we continue to grow, but these international games are pivotal,” NFL executive director Peter O’Reilly told the Associated Press. “Those who have been there and experienced it, you just see the passion of the fans in these markets. This is the opportunity for them to experience the best of the NFL live, and it’s the opportunity to engage year-round with the fans out there. There’s nothing bigger and better than an NFL game and that The teams are going to be located in those markets and put them on the field.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Munich in the NFL’s first regular season game in Germany this season. Destination cities for the 2023 Games will be announced later this year. The NFL previously confirmed that Munich and Frankfurt will host games in Germany over the next four years.
The Chiefs and Patriots are part of the league’s International Home Marketing Area Program, which sees teams secure international marketing rights in countries outside the United States, with both sides granted rights in Germany.
The Bills and Titans will play their second game in London. The Bills lost to the Jaguars in London in 2015. The Titans lost to the Chargers there in 2018. The Jaguars will play their 10th game in London.
The five international matches in 2022 set a record attendance and viewership, with increased demand for tickets and the number of fans for the league around the world. Each game was sold out with 356,116 people in attendance.
The Chiefs, Bills and Jaguars play the AFC Divisional Playoffs this weekend.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be playing a game in Germany and bringing more of the world to Chiefs Kingdom this fall,” Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Our team and fans have had incredible experiences in London and Mexico City as part of the International Series in the past, and we look forward to assisting the NFL in its efforts to continue developing the game in Germany.”
Patriots 3-0 in international games.
“We are thrilled that we were chosen to play in Germany this year,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. “We haven’t lost in our three previous internationals, thanks in part to the fantastic support from our fans. We know some of our most passionate fans are based in Germany, and we’re looking forward to finally playing a game there. We know the fans. It’s going to create a great atmosphere. We’re sure it will It will be an unforgettable experience and one of the highlights of the 2023 season.
The NFL’s expansion to 17 games in the regular season gives teams their ninth home game in back-to-back seasons. Up to four conference teams whose teams are eligible for the ninth home game of the regular season are designated to play an international game at a neutral site each year.
The league continues to explore playing more games internationally in the future and even the possibility of placing a franchise overseas.
“Nothing is forthcoming,” said O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, club business, major and international events. “There are definitely complexities to working if you have a team in Europe. That’s our responsibility to keep looking and seeing what’s viable. The fact that we’re having this conversation is the capacity that’s there in these markets. We’ve got great stadiums, good government partners. Those are the building blocks but it’s a complex process that takes time and alignment, but it is our responsibility to do the work and the analysis.”
