The NFL announced their fixtures for the season earlier today. Along with the confirmation of an additional game for the regular season, fans learned of the NFL’s plans to return to conducting international games.

With the exception of last season, international games became a tradition in NFL seasons. And this year, the NFL will be back on the global scene, conducting games in London.

The NFL announced two fixtures that will take place in London. The first will be between Zach Wilson and the New York Jets taking on Kyle Pitts, Matt Ryan, and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5.

Followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars and their star quarterback Trevor Lawrence facing Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins. Therefore, fans overseas will get a chance to witness some of the bright young stars in the league.

For the younger stars like Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, they will also get the experience of playing in international games for the future.

Many of the young stars on these teams could be future faces of the NFL. And for them to be able to get an opportunity to represent not only their teams, but the league, is a good litmus test for their abilities as potential faces of the league.

NFL continues to grow internationally

However, just because they are playing overseas doesn’t mean these games become any less important for the franchises. These games still count for their regular season.

They just replace certain home games in the schedule based on where they’re being hosted. If anything, these games become more important because these players will have to play at the highest level to help further the global popularity of the league.

The NFL has been growing internationally at a really fast pace. Given how well invested the sport has been, and the immense narratives that are present, that comes as no surprise.

However, it still needs to work harder in increasing its presence across the rest of the world. The game is immensely popular but still doesn’t come close to matching the fanbase of soccer, the NBA, or even the UFC.