Yardbarker
x
Could Australia possibly host an NFL regular-season game? 
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Could Australia possibly host an NFL regular-season game? 

With regular-season games being played in Brazil in 2024 and Spain in 2025, it’s clear the NFL is going all in on growing its global footprint.

Head of international affairs Peter O’Reilly confirmed Tuesday at the league meetings in Nashville that Australia is among several countries in the running to host regular-season games as early as next season.

“Australia is among a set, and it’s not a small set of markets, that we’re looking at,” O’Reilly said, via Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. “…When you start to talk about Asia, Pacific and Australia, you talk about distance and logistics and the football component of that. So, those factors are real. But our role is to really look at the globe, look at where the fan base is strong and do the diligence, make the evaluations.”

The Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams have global markets in Australia, and the league believes it has a strong enough fan base and media coverage to be a viable host location for NFL games.

Dublin, Ireland has also been discussed as a potential future host country as well.

The NFL’s international series has pulled in strong numbers, so much so that the league is pushing hard to increase the number of overseas games with the owners recently approving an eight-game international schedule each year.

The 2024 season will feature three games in London along with one in Brazil and one in Germany.

Since the inception of the NFL’s international series in 2007, there have been 44 games played overseas, including 36 in London, five in Mexico City and three in Germany. 

In total, the league has played more than 50 international regular-season games, counting the six played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada from 2008 to 2013.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!