The NFL has nine international games for the 2026 season. The league has emphasized making football global, and under Commissioner Roger Goodell, that goal is becoming a reality. Whether you like it or not as a fan, games that would’ve been fun to watch in the States may be overseas.

Look at the schedule this season. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are a divisional joust that typically is an exciting game; well, it’ll be in Australia this season, leaving fans in Los Angeles missing out on a divisional matchup.

This explanation began as a global curiosity. For newer or younger fans, this is the norm, but older NFL fans can remember the original explanation to London. It begs the question, nearly 20 years later, has the London experiment been a success?

Why London?

Naturally, domestic growth for the NFL would plateau. So, the NFL explored potential options for international exposure. Going overseas offers new media markets, sponsorships, merchandise and simply new fans. While the International Series started in 2007, it wasn’t the NFL’s first time going overseas.

The league’s history of playing games overseas dates back decades before 2007. The NFL and AFL experimented with playing games overseas from 1950 to 1983, with teams participating in 13 games outside the United States. Seven games were against the Canadian Football League, with the rest being NFL teams facing one another. In 1986, the league took a more organized approach and introduced the American Bowl, an annual preseason game played outside the United States. It went on for two decades and played games in Japan, Canada, Germany and Ireland.

It all came to an end following the 2005 preseason, but just two years later, the International Series was announced. The decades leading up to the International Series proved the NFL could market its game globally, but this series had a twist.

It wasn’t preseason exhibitions fans would watch; it meant regular-season games. It all started in London, because the NFL believed London was a test for something even bigger. There was a possibility of placing a full-time NFL franchise. Along with it, the league wanted to evaluate travel, fan interest and the overall operation of games overseas.

But still, why London to start off? London is one of the largest cities in the world by Gross Domestic Product. If the city were in the United States, they’d have an NFL team by now. It was a safe economic move, and overall, Europe has over 700 million people living in it. If they wanted to watch an NFL game, they’d make the trip to London.

The Jacksonville Jaguars embraced the idea that the NFL was pushing and have played more games in London than any team. They’ve found London to be a home away from home and have played two games there over the past couple of seasons.

What’s Worked in London

Attendance

Attendance has been the biggest success for the NFL over the years. Games have consistently sold out, attracting fans from across Europe, and the games are literal events for locals on the outside. If two poor teams play each other in the US, the excitement isn’t there. In London, it’s completely different; fans will show up just to watch an NFL game.

In 2024, the Jaguars and New England Patriots had an official attendance of 86,651 for their regular-season game. It’s clear that fans in London care, and the 2024 London Series featured three sold-out regular-season matchups, for a total attendance of over 200,000 across three games.

Jaguars success

Jacksonville has succeeded in the NFL overseas. It’s shown commitment long-term, and it’s built familiarity with fans in London. It’s the closest thing the NFL has to an “international franchise.” The growth has led to companies like “Seat Unique” that help fans get premium experiences. Seat Unique has been the premium ticketing partner for the Jaguars in the UK since May of 2023. The highlights of this service include a 450-person Jaguar-themed lounge, opportunities for fans to get up close to the players during team walkouts and specialized fan zones outside the stadium.

Partnerships like this have proved that the NFL has grown in the UK, and fans in London care about teams like the Jaguars. According to YouGov, the Jaguars are a top-five team in the UK in terms of popularity. The early commitment has worked and has shown that London cares deeply about the NFL.

Media growth

The NFL’s media and fan presence has skyrocketed; that’s no surprise. The digital presence has made significant strides over the years, and especially in 2025. The matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns averaged 6.4 million viewers across TV and Digital, making it the most-watched NFL Network London game.

European sports networks have also educated the NFL. Sky Sports has dedicated more time to the NFL, having more NFL programming throughout the week, and streaming services like NFL+ have seen boosts in European subscriptions.

2025 was a big year for this, with the most-watched NFL Network London game and overall impact. You saw pregame shows get longer, social media growth, and the crowds grow.

What hasn’t worked

It’s not a true market

Despite the success, London will never be a true “home market” for the NFL. The Jaguars have played the most games, but still aren’t the most popular team. Fans are interested in teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, even though those teams rarely visit London.

Along with the versatility of different fandoms, crowds are always more neutral. Typically, in the International Series games, the crowd won’t be rooting for one specific team. It never feels like a true “home game” for the home team. It feels more like an event for the fans. Compare London crowds to Bills home games, and it’s night and day.

Travel

Getting NFL teams there is a massive challenge. The flight itself is the first challenge, being 7 to 10 hours for NFL teams. The major difficulty is the time zone shift. Jet lag can impact a player’s performance, leading to fatigue and slower processing on game day. It’s been a major topic of discussion, and NFL teams have tried multiple tactics.

Some teams get there early and land on Monday. Some like to land on Friday, having two nights to adjust to the time zone. And some, like the Rams last season, landed on Saturday morning, creating a major turnaround for their players. There’s no right way for a team to schedule its travel to London, but it’s a major hurdle to overcome nonetheless.

How has London shaped the International Series

The NFL has learned valuable lessons ever since it decided to play games overseas. The main one is that it doesn’t need a permanent team in a specific city to globalize the sport. The original idea was to have a permanent franchise in London, but as time has passed, it’s no longer necessary.

Rather than having a team in one location, the league has focused on spreading games across multiple countries, having games in Germany, Australia, and Mexico this season. It helps create global excitement, and by mixing up the teams, it creates scarcity among fans at these locations.

The overall success of teams traveling to London gave the NFL confidence to expand to a multi-game slate across the globe, growing its fandom.

Was London successful?

Now it brings us to the ultimate question. Was it all worth it?

Commercially? Easily. Ticket sales, sponsorships, media growth and overall international growth have made London a big success. Fans across the globe are eager to see which NFL teams will be traveling to a country or stadium near them, which drives up ticket prices. We’ve seen more tailgating, premium ticket options, and interest in the sport from local sports networks.

From a competitive standpoint, it’s still hard to say it’s been a success. Travel still creates trouble for NFL teams, and fandom remains broader than loyalty. NFL teams are losing home games in front of their fans, who will cheer and give them a home-field advantage in games across the globe. It’s a fun experience for teams to travel, but the reality is that fans at these global games don’t create home-field advantages for the home teams

Before the NFL went to London in 2007, international games didn’t feel like a reality. Fast forward almost 20 years, and we have games in Australia, Brazil and London. London has been a success for the NFL, and the idea of global expansion has become a major success for the NFL.