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Saturday, January 3, 2026

NFL’s World Takeover: League Unveils 7 Matchups Across 5 Countries in 2025

The league’s burgeoning international business strategy is taking further shape as game plans are finalized for this fall. 

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NFL has finalized its plans for what will be the most aggressive international schedule in its history. 

The league has created a seven-game global slate that will include five different countries across two continents. Leading the schedule is the Sept. 5 Brazil game in São Paulo, a Chiefs-Chargers matchup that Front Office Sports first detailed last week and brings in Kansas City, the league’s most-watched team

That game, set for a separate announcement Wednesday, will be shown on YouTube for free as the league eyes a new streaming record. The presence of the Chiefs, the league’s top viewership draw, helped to solidify the deal between the Google-owned outlet and the NFL. The game also takes advantage of a loophole in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, aimed in part at protecting high school and college football, to allow for a rare Friday NFL game. 

The other six global games include:

  • Sept. 28: Vikings vs. Steelers in Dublin
  • Oct. 5: Vikings vs. Browns in London
  • Oct. 12: Broncos vs. Jets in London
  • Oct. 19: Rams vs. Jaguars in London
  • Nov. 9: Falcons vs. Colts in Berlin
  • Nov. 16: Commanders vs. Dolphins in Madrid

The game unveilings follow ones made on Monday by NBC, Fox, and then Amazon. Each of those disclosures will culminate in the full drop of the schedule Wednesday night. 

In each of these instances, the AFC team is the home team as the international games are pulled from the ninth home game in their schedule. Each team in that conference has an “extra” home game in the 17-game slate, and that scenario will revert to NFC teams in 2026. 

The seven international games in 2025 are also a foundation of the league’s quickly expanding global strategy. The contests in Ireland and Spain are the NFL’s first there during the regular season. 

The Vikings’ back-to-back trips to Ireland and England make that the team the just the NFL’s second after the Jaguars to play multiple international games in a single season. Jacksonville, however, plays in London in a separate agreement from the league’s broader international rotation. 

Disney Release

ESPN, meanwhile, also said early Tuesday it will show a Monday Night Football game on Nov. 10 involving the Eagles and the Packers. The matchup is a revival of one from last season’s wild-card playoff round, won by Philadelphia by a 22-10 score. 

With that game from the Disney-owned network, four 2025 contests for the defending champion Eagles are already known.

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