When the NFL releases its 2020 schedule, there will be a handful of omissions: the 4 planned international games in London and a fifth matchup Mexico City. The league announced Monday that there would be no games played outside of the U.S. in 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak, with those games instead being held in home markets.
The NFL has played at least one regular-season game internationally every season since 2007, and the league had previously announced plans to return to Mexico and England in 2021.
The hiatus comes at an inopportune time as teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars have focused efforts on international markets, while NFL execs have talked about expanding the international series to countries like Germany and Canada. The league views global expansion as critical to hitting a $25B annual revenue goal by 2027.
