Falcons fans watching from home will be waking up early Sunday morning for a little history. Atlanta faces the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin, Germany, in what will be the first regular-season NFL game ever played at the city’s Olympic Stadium.
Kickoff is 9:30 a.m. Eastern on FOX 5 Atlanta.
Falcons in Berlin
What we know: Olympiastadion Berlin, originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics, provides a dramatic stage unlike any NFL venue. Its open oval design means wider camera shots, louder echoes, and a bit more distance between the stands and the field, something viewers will notice right away. The sold-out crowd is expected to include fans wearing jerseys from nearly every NFL team. Germany’s fan base has made each international game feel like a soccer championship, with coordinated chants, signs in multiple languages, and nonstop energy.
Berlin marks the third German city to host an NFL regular-season game, following Munich and Frankfurt, and it comes as the league works to expand its European reach.
Timeline:
This isn’t new territory for Atlanta. The Falcons have steadily become one of the league’s most experienced international travelers:
2014: Lost to the Detroit Lions 22-21 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
2021: Beat the New York Jets 27-20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Kyle Pitts scored his first NFL touchdown.
2023: Fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-7 at Wembley in another London game. 2025: Now take on the Colts in Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
The Falcons also faced Indianapolis in a preseason matchup in Tokyo back in 2005, when Michael Vick and Peyton Manning briefly shared the field.
According to FOX Sports and the Associated Press, Atlanta’s four regular-season international games put them near the middle of the pack among NFL teams who have played abroad.
Dig deeper:
The Jacksonville Jaguars remain the NFL’s true international regulars, with more than a dozen games abroad, mostly in London. The Vikings, Patriots, and Dolphins also rank ahead of Atlanta in total appearances.
Where the Falcons stand out is their international marketing reach. Under the NFL’s Global Markets Program, Atlanta is one of a small group of teams with official commercial rights in Germany, giving the franchise a foothold in one of the league’s fastest-growing fan markets.
That means Berlin won’t just be another game. It’s a business and branding showcase for the Falcons, who have made it clear they want to connect with German fans beyond this weekend.
What fans need to know at home:
What you can do: For Atlanta fans not boarding a plane, here’s how to catch the game:
Kickoff: 9:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local time in Berlin)
TV: FOX 5 Atlanta or the NFL Network elsewhere
Streaming: Available on NFL+
Opponent: Indianapolis Colts (home team designation)
The broadcast will feature sweeping aerial shots of the Olympic Park, the historic stadium towers, and fan scenes that mix NFL energy with European flair.
Why you should care: For the Falcons, this game offers more than just a chance to rebound midseason. It’s an opportunity to represent Atlanta, and the South, on one of the league’s biggest international stages.
From the domed roar of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the open-air chants of Berlin, Sunday’s game will test Atlanta’s ability to travel, adapt, and perform under global pressure. And for fans at home, it’s one of the rare times to sip coffee instead of a tailgate beer while watching the Falcons make history.
By the numbers: The Atlanta Falcons have navigated a season of highs and lows as they pursue an end to their seven-year playoff drought.
The Falcons currently hold a 3-5 record and sit in third place in the NFC South.
At 3-5, the Falcons’ postseason hopes are alive but fragile. They sit third in the NFC South, needing a strong run through November and December to stay in the wildcard race. Their defense has shown playoff-caliber consistency, but offensive struggles and red-zone inefficiency have kept them from closing out winnable games. To contend, Atlanta likely needs to finish at least 9-8 and sweep key divisional matchups against Tampa Bay and Carolina.