Roger Goodell has made one thing clear: the league’s next big play isn’t just on the field, it’s global. The commissioner has been vocal about his expansion plans, and the 2025 season is a prime example of that vision in motion. This year’s slate features seven international games, marking the NFL’s most ambitious global schedule yet.

Both Ireland and Spain are making their regular-season debuts, while Brazil just hosted its second-ever game after successfully opening the 2024 season in São Paulo. Add in the familiar stops: The U.K. and Germany, the league’s established European strongholds. But Goodell’s expansion blueprint doesn’t stop here.

During a conversation on the Fitz & Whit Podcast with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth, Goodell addressed his ambitions toward the NFL’s global expansion.

“I think we’re really going to see our game become global,” Goodell said when asked about his plans in the next 10 or 15 years. “You were talking about Jason Kelce. I’m at the game, and all of a sudden, he walks in the suite in Ireland. And I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ and he said, ‘I decided to come over and play golf for a little bit and come over and enjoy the game.’

“So, you know, we had a few points and just enjoyed the game. And every player that I talked to over there, which was a lot. How was the experience? What was good? What was bad? They love the idea that they’re taking the game global, that they’re part of that, that they’re getting to expand their brands on a global basis.”

After hosting NFL games in the U.K., Germany, and Brazil, the league expanded its International series to Dublin in Ireland (Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings) and Madrid in Spain (Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Commanders) for the 2025 season.

On top of that, the NFL commissioner has already locked in plans to take the league Down Under in 2026, with the Melbourne Cricket Ground set to host the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Australia. Meanwhile, the league is doubling down in South America, too. The league has announced a multi-year deal to stage at least three regular-season games in Rio de Janeiro over the next five years, starting in 2026.

Roger Goodell wants to expand the league’s slate of international games to Asia as well. “I think our next step after Australia would be probably moving into Asia,” the NFL commissioner said. “That’s a continent we’d like to be playing in. We are serious about being a global sport. We would like to get to 16 games so everyone is playing one game a year internationally.”

Though Goodell didn’t clarify which Asian countries the NFL is considering at the moment. But the reports suggest that Goodell is considering staging a game in the Middle East. Long story short: The NFL’s International Series has been a resounding success so far, and Goodell is now aiming to make it truly global.

Roger Goodell addressed the use of AI for officiating

The NFL’s officiating crew has been under intense scrutiny over the years. Whether it’s a missed holding call or a controversial roughing-the-passer penalty, the integrity of the game frequently comes under the microscope. The Week 6 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions was a recent example of it.

The Chiefs beat the Lions 30-17, and in the process, they committed zero penalties. And just like that, the NFL fandom called out the officiating crew for biased calls. Fast forward to now, and Roger Goodell believes that this can be solved with the help of technology.

“I always run by [the fact that] you have to embrace technology,” Goodell said on the Fitz and Whit show. “Technology is changing our lives. It changes the way we play the game, [and] it changes the way we watch the game. We have to embrace it…Officiating is a great example of that.”

The NFL commissioner further admitted that the league needs to leverage every tool at its disposal to improve officiating and reduce mistakes that could change the outcome of games.

“The game is getting faster. It’s harder to officiate. I think our guys do a great job, but there’s no such thing as perfection on the field. What we want to do is get it right and avoid the big mistakes because it should be decided amongst the men playing the game,” Goodell added.

While there’s no doubt that Goodell observed that striking the balance between preserving football’s traditions and introducing new technology is no easy task. But he also admitted that the use of artificial intelligence will enhance officiating without the removal of the refs.

“We have really worked hard to improve, educate, and try to give the skills to officials,” he continued. “I think they have gotten better. But we have to supplement them with technology… We have to give them the tools to try to be better and keep up with the game. And I think technology will be that way.”

That said, professional sports around the world are already implementing AI into officiating. And the way things are shaping up, Goodell now plans to follow suit.