NFL International Games

The NFL is having a record nine international games across seven countries and four continents for the 2026 season. The increasing amount of international games has brought many differing opinions on whether or not it’s good for the NFL.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have played at least one game in every season since 2013 with the exception of 2020. The Jaguars played both the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans in London this season.

“We now get calls about ‘We want the game.’ We have players who say, ‘We want to be part of the globalization of the game.’ The teams are now the ones, we don’t have to ask; they’re asking us to go. I think the entire structure has changed, and I think London is at the heart of that,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

While NFL international games seem to be wanted by many, others are opposed to it, citing logistical issues.

“That’s a joke. ‘Oh, we want to go play in ‘name-X country,’ ‘throw a dart at the map.’ Like, what? They (the NFL) understand the logistics of this, right? We have a travel party of 200-ish people. 50 of those are going to be putting their body through the most physically demanding thing you can do, but we are going to stuff you on a plane for 18 hours, screw up your body clock, take you to a country where the food is all (expletive) up, have you play now, fly you back, lose your bye week from the logistics of it,” Detroit Lions offensive tackle Dan Skipper said.

The Los Angeles Rams played against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia during Week 1, the first regular season ever played in Australia, with the 49ers winning 27-7. Rams head coach Sean McVay took responsibility for not preparing better for international play, but also seemed to be against playing in Australia again.

"I want to see us be present right now and move forward. That game is so far -- it's almost like you try to do the 'Men in Black' thing where you say, 'Hey, I don't remember what happened. That was so long ago.' We're not playing in Australia ever again, I hope. Not because it wasn't a great atmosphere, that'll get taken out of context,” McVay said.

While the NFL looks to push football internationally, some fans look forward to other countries participating in the sport more often.

“I support the international games because it’s a way to one day to make NFL an international sport, which is good because there’s a lot of countries where football is played like Germany or Italy but it’s not big enough to be super popular, but the NFL is expanding football with these games in my opinion, so it’s a good thing,” NHS junior Bobby DeNicola said.

While international games are a big deal for some players and fans, others don’t have a strong stance on them.

“I personally don't particularly care for [international games], but it is nice when my team plays at 9:30 AM so you can enjoy the rest of the day with no concerns,” NHS junior Blaise Mindenhall said.

The NFL has now approved up to 10 international games for the 2027 season. As the NFL increasingly pushes international play, debates over if football should be played internationally are sure to continue.