NFL selects three German cities as candidates for future games

In June, the NFL confirmed it had begun a process of eventually holding International Series regular-season games in Germany as part of its expansion beyond venues located in London, Mexico City and Toronto. 

The NFL announced Tuesday that Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich have been invited to join the "candidate phase" portion of the endeavor that will likely result in Germany hosting a contest at some point down the road. 

"Regular-season games are a key part of continuing the development of our German fan base by creating more excitement for the sport and more connectivity with fans and communities," NFL head of UK and Europe Brett Gosper said for the prepared statement. 

Gosper continued: "As well as identifying a stadium that is fully capable of handling the logistics of an NFL game, we want to work with a host consortium that comprises local and regional government, stadium ownership, local stakeholders and potential commercial partners. We want this to be a long-term partnership."

This Sunday's matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be the NFL's 30th game held in London since 2007. According to ESPN and The Associated Press, the league has also completed six games in Toronto and four in Mexico City. 

As of now, the NFL plans to schedule four international games for the 2022 season. Gosper told ESPN the league intends to announce the "winning" German city during Super Bowl LVI in February, and he explained to The AP last week that France, Spain and "the Nordics" could also host future games.