NFL’s Big Schedule Play: 18-Games, 16 International Matchups on the Table

The NFL wants to expand its regular season to 18 games and play 16 contests each year outside the U.S. That much has been clear from various comments made by franchise owners and commissioner Roger Goodell this year. Now, there’s a stated timeline for those goals.

On Thursday, during a panel at Liberty Media’s investor meeting in New York, Goodell said the NFL hopes to be at 16 international games “within five years.” 

That’s key because Goodell has previously hinted that getting to 16 games outside the U.S. each season will likely be tied to an expanded, 18-game regular season. “I’m confident, particularly if we’re going to do the restructuring of the season, that we would get to 16 at some point,” he said last month.

Next year, the league is eyeing eight games abroad, with Goodell recently confirming efforts to play in Ireland, Brazil, and Mexico, in addition to previously planned contests in the U.K., Germany, and Spain. The NFL is also said to be exploring selling a separate TV package of only international games that could be worth more than $1 billion.

Goodell’s push for an 18-game regular season has been fairly public since he first brought up the issue around the NFL draft. “I’m not a fan of the preseason,” he said in April while touting the benefits of an extra meaningful game each year in exchange for one less exhibition matchup.

He reiterated the idea of going to 18 regular-season games and just two preseason games Thursday. “That will open up more inventory to allow us to play more globally,” he said.

Another expansion of the regular season will need to be negotiated with players, and the current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2030 season. The NFL can also opt out of most of its media-rights deals after the 2029 season.