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The NFL wants to expand its International Series into Germany and has started the process of identifying a partner city to host games, according to The Washington Post.
Founded in 2007, the NFL International Series has been played in the United Kingdom and Mexico City, with at least one regular-season game played in London per season.
The gridiron has been a hit outside of the States, especially in soccer-crazed London. The average attendance at NFL games in London is just over 82,000.
Germany is Europe’s largest economy with a GDP of $4.5 trillion and its NFL fans are known to flock to London to catch the action, making the country an attractive market for the league.
The arrangement benefits both the league and its host cities.
Back in 2013, the total direct economic impact on the London economy of the International Series was estimated to be $39 million, according to a study by Deloitte.
Contests in Germany would add another dynamic to a schedule that’s already undergone a bevy of recent changes.
- NFL owners voted in April to expand the regular season to 17 games for the first time.
- An 18-game schedule could come as early as 2025, according to NBC Sports.
A larger international audience would also be a boon to the NFL’s current media rights deals with CBS, NBC, Disney, Fox, and Amazon — worth a total of $113 billion over 11 seasons.
NFL Europe, which ceased operations in 2007, previously established American football’s identity in Germany with the Rhein Fire and three-time World Bowl champion Berlin Thunder.
