The NFL’s first international series officially kicked off in the 2007 season as the New York Giants faced off against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London. Since then, the NFL has continued its attempts to make American football a primary sport around the world.
As of October 2026, there have been sixty four games played internationally for the NFL so far, with the most recent being the 2026 season opener in Melbourne, Australia where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7, and the week 3 matchup in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Dallas Cowboys off a game winning field goal by kicker Tyler Loop to end the game at 34-31.
In a report by ESPN, consumers notice the two most recent games have had outstandingly high viewership, with the Rio De Janeiro game having almost 25 million viewers, making it the most viewed international game of all time! The Melbourne game followed, with a viewership of 18.5 million, which marks the second most viewed international game ever. To follow these record breaking games, seven more games are set to come with 3 being in London, England. Other cities in this season’s international series include: Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. The next game will take place on Sunday, Oct. 4 as the Indianapolis Colts take on the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Spur Stadium in London.
Building to the 2028 Olympics
Flag football is 1 of the new sports implemented into the Olympic games with the next upcoming Olympics being less than two years away. Last year, the NFL owners voted in favor of league players being allowed to play in the Olympics. According to NBC Sports and Brian Flinn, the NFL’s head of Global flag football, “more than 200 players representing more than 25 countries have expressed a desire to possibly play.” There will be six women’s and men’s teams.
NFL Commissioner, Rodger Goodell, believes that this is great for fans around the world.
“I’ve heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it’s [the] United States or the country that they came from,” said Goodell.
This statement could solidify that the international games within the NFL are not only able to help expand their brands worldwide, but to expand the game of American football as a whole, including introducing it to the Olympics. The opening ceremony of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles will take place on July 14, 2028.
