NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has “no doubt” the league will someday have franchises based outside the United States — and that he would want a team in a city before awarding it a Super Bowl.
In an interview with German broadcaster RTL/ntv, Goodell told former player Markus Kuhn, “At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA. I have no doubt that this will happen one day.” NFL.com and ESPN published the remarks Tuesday.
On a Super Bowl abroad, Goodell said, “There are definitely international cities that could host something like that. But we would like to see an NFL team in such a city first.”
League executive Peter O’Reilly said in May that an international Super Bowl is not a front-burner issue.
The NFL did not name a first overseas city. London has hosted more regular-season games than any other international market since 2007 and has three games this season. CBS Sports notes Goodell has said in the past that London could support more than one team. Mexico City is another frequent candidate. It hosted the first regular-season game outside the U.S. in 2005 and is on the 2026 schedule again after a new multi-year deal.
The 2026 season has a record nine international games: Melbourne (first in Australia), Rio de Janeiro, three in London, plus Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. Owners voted this year to allow as many as 10 international games starting in 2027 and removed teams’ ability to shield home dates from the slate. Goodell has previously talked about 16 international games if the regular season expands to 18.
No timeline was announced. Goodell has said in earlier comments that a franchise or division would likely be more than 10 years away.
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