The National Football League is making its way back to British soil this weekend, kicking off a trio of games that will fill the October calendar. The first matchup will see the Indianapolis Colts travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday. A week later the Jacksonville Jaguars will return to the same venue to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, and the final London game of the series will be staged at Wembley Stadium on October 18, where the Jaguars will meet their AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans.
These fixtures underscore the NFL’s ongoing dedication to the United Kingdom, but they also hint at a broader, more global ambition. By the close of the 2026 season, the league will have staged nine regular‑season contests outside the United States, a clear sign that the organization is willing to experiment with new markets and new formats. London has been a proving ground for this international strategy.
The city has repeatedly demonstrated that a full‑scale NFL operation – from team arrivals and practice sessions to the actual game and post‑event logistics – can be executed smoothly and efficiently. That success story has been copied, almost verbatim, on the other side of the globe.
This season, for instance, the NFL will break new ground with games in Australia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and later in October a historic match will be played in Paris, France. The momentum is unmistakable.
Analysts predict that the league could schedule ten international games in the next season, and some even speculate that a full slate of sixteen overseas contests per year may not be far off. Achieving that level of expansion, however, may hinge on the outcome of ongoing negotiations between the league and the NFL Players Association, which are discussing a possible increase in the regular‑season schedule from 17 to 18 games. In many ways, the NFL’s overseas push mirrors the Formula 1 model: different teams travel to a rotating roster of venues, each stop designed to attract new fans and deepen existing loyalties. Commissioner Roger Goodell has explained that playing in a single or even a couple of foreign markets only expands the fan base in those limited areas.
By contrast, staging games in ten, eleven or twelve locations around the world can spark interest across a multitude of countries, creating a truly global following. The conversation about international franchises has resurfaced recently, especially after Goodell’s comments during a visit to Germany this summer. While the league continues to employ the Formula 1‑style approach, there is growing speculation that a more permanent presence could emerge – perhaps a European division featuring teams in London, Germany, Spain and France. The groundwork for such a development appears to be taking shape, with stadium upgrades, local partnerships and grassroots initiatives like flag‑football programs gaining traction.
From a betting perspective, the future remains uncertain. Early chatter focused heavily on a London‑based franchise, but that narrative faded as the league emphasized its traveling‑team strategy. Now, with the commissioner bringing the franchise idea back into discussion, it seems the NFL is keeping all options on the table, prioritizing fan growth, market penetration and talent development above committing to a single path. What is clear is that the commitment among NFL owners and Commissioner Goodell to expand the sport internationally has never been stronger.
The league is investing heavily in marketing, media rights and local infrastructure, aiming to make American football a staple of the global sports landscape for years to come. For fans outside the United States, this translates into more opportunities to watch live games, attend events and engage with the sport in their own languages and cultures. Looking ahead, the NFL’s international agenda will likely continue to evolve. The current Formula 1‑style touring model may serve as a stepping stone toward more permanent teams or even an entire European division.
As the league tests new markets, refines its logistics and builds relationships with local authorities, the possibility of a London franchise—or a broader European presence—becomes increasingly plausible. In the meantime, supporters can enjoy the upcoming October fixtures, stream the 2026 season live on Sky Sports, and anticipate the excitement of the playoffs and Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for Sunday, February 14, 2027.
Whether the NFL ultimately settles on a traveling schedule or decides to plant deeper roots abroad, the trajectory points toward a more interconnected, worldwide fan base, and that can only be good news for the sport’s global future.