The National Football League is heading back across the Atlantic this weekend, kicking off a trio of games scheduled for October in London. The opening matchup will feature the Indianapolis Colts squaring off against the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. A week later the Jacksonville Jaguars will return to the same venue to meet the Philadelphia Eagles, and the final London encounter will close out the month at Wembley Stadium on October 18, when the Jaguars face their AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans.
These fixtures underscore the league’s deepening commitment to the United Kingdom, but they also hint at a broader, more ambitious global strategy. By the conclusion of the 2026 season, the NFL will have staged nine regular‑season contests outside the United States—a record that signals the organization’s willingness to push beyond traditional borders.
London has proven to be a reliable proving ground: teams can arrive, conduct practice sessions efficiently, play a full‑scale game, and depart without logistical nightmares. That operational blueprint has now been exported to the other side of the planet, with the league already delivering games in Australia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and planning a historic first in Paris, France, later in October. The momentum shows no signs of slowing. Analysts anticipate that the upcoming season could host ten international games, and some insiders even speculate that the NFL may soon schedule as many as sixteen overseas matchups each year.
Achieving that level of frequency would likely require a renegotiated collective‑bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association, potentially expanding the regular season from its current 17 games to 18. In the meantime, the league appears to be emulating Formula 1’s model: rotating teams through a variety of global markets to cultivate fan bases worldwide. Former conversations with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reveal a clear philosophy: concentrating games in just one or two foreign cities only expands the sport’s reach in those limited areas. By contrast, staging contests in ten, eleven, or even a dozen distinct markets dramatically amplifies exposure across multiple countries, accelerating the sport’s international growth.
Goodell has hinted that this strategy could eventually evolve into something more permanent, such as establishing a European division or even planting full‑time franchises on the continent. During a recent visit to Germany, he alluded to the possibility of a European franchise, suggesting that the league is keeping its options open. Why the urgency?
The NFL does not want to lose the traction it has built in recent years. Maintaining a flexible, experimental approach—currently modeled after Formula 1—allows the league to test demand in a variety of locales. If enough of those markets demonstrate sustained enthusiasm, the NFL could transition from a touring schedule to a more fixed presence, perhaps with a London‑based team, a German club, a Spanish side, and a French franchise forming a new European division. The groundwork for such an expansion is already being laid through repeated visits, local partnerships, and grassroots initiatives like flag‑football programs that aim to develop talent and fan interest at the community level.
From a betting perspective, the future remains uncertain. Early speculation heavily favored a London franchise, but that narrative faded as the league embraced the Formula 1‑style rotation. Now, with the commissioner re‑introducing franchise talk into public discourse, it appears the NFL is weighing both pathways: continue the touring model while simultaneously scouting for viable long‑term locations.
Regardless of the ultimate direction, one thing is clear: ownership and league leadership have never been more committed to international expansion. The NFL’s strategic plan for the coming decade places global growth at the forefront, and fans outside the United States stand to benefit from increased access to live games, more localized content, and the potential for home‑grown teams.
For those eager to follow the action, the 2026 NFL season—including every playoff game and Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027—will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Viewers can also explore Sky’s latest streaming deals or watch without a contract via the NOW platform. As the league continues to push its boundaries, the prospect of a European franchise moves from fantasy to a tangible possibility, promising a new era for American football on the world stage.