The NFL has spent most of the past decade toying with the idea of adding an international team, and based on what Roger Goodell recently had to say about the situation, it doesn't feel like such a pipe dream anymore. As a matter of fact, it now sounds more like a question of when it will happen than of whether it will happen. During a recent interview with RTL/ntv in Germany, Goodell said there was "no doubt" in his mind that the NFL will eventually have an international team.
"At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA," the NFL commissioner said. "I have no doubt that this will happen one day." The most notable part of Goodell's statement might be that he said "teams," as in plural, suggesting the NFL could be planning to have multiple international teams. Goodell once said that putting an entire division in Europe would make more sense than putting one team out there, so that could be the NFL's long-term goal.
"We're trying to sort of see, could you have multiple locations in Europe where you could have an NFL franchise, because it would be easier as a division," Goodell said back in 2022. Although Goodell seems confident that the NFL will eventually have an international team, it likely won't happen any time soon. During an interview in April 2024, Goodell was actually asked what a possible timeline might look like for adding an international team (or even a division).
"Will a franchise ever happen or a division? But that's beyond 10 years," Goodell said. Based on that comment, it would be the mid-2030s at the earliest for the NFL to add an international franchise.
Adding an international team might be way down the road, but the NFL has been paying close attention to how international cities are responding to hosting NFL games and Goodell feels that there are multiple cities that could eventually be the home to a team. "There are markets that could certainly support a team," Goodell said back in October 2025. If the NFL does add a team outside the United States, London seems like the most obvious candidate.
The English capital hosted the first regular-season European game in 2007 and has hosted at least one game in every season since, with the exception of 2020, when the NFL didn't hold any international games due to COVID. If the NFL were to put an entire division in Europe, there's a chance that London could end up with multiple teams. "There's no question that London could support, not just one franchise, I think two franchises.
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