Speaking at Thursday’s Liberty Media Investor Day, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed optimism about increasing both the number of NFL games in the regular season and that of international contests.
“We’re looking at a change from the 17-and-3 [17 regular season games, three preseason games] format to maybe 18 regular season games and two preseason games,” he admitted, via Sports Business Journal. “That will open up more inventory to allow us to play more globally.”
That said, the global inventory currently sits at five international games per season. Goodell sees that number rapidly rising: “We hope to be [at] 16 within five years,” he said.
NFL international games this year were held in Brazil, London, and Munich. The NFL Sao Paulo game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers was the first time the league ventured to South America.
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A natural solution for the NFL would seem to be each team getting eight home games, eight road games, and one international contest. However, that diplomatic scenario seems unlikely with Goodell pushing for an 18-game season
The NFL Commissioner teased some of those future international locations ahead of this year’s game in Munich featuring the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.
We are definitely going to Spain, we announced that,” Goodell said. “We expect to return to Mexico City. We expect to return to Brazil. We will certainly be back in the U.K.”
47,236 people attended September’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo (
Image:
Getty Images)
“We’re also looking at the potential of another game in the U.K. area in Ireland, possibly,” he continued. “That’s a possibility. And we’ll certainly be back here in Germany. So if that total’s eight, that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Goodell’s five-year plan aligns perfectly with when the NFL’s current media rights deal expires in 2029. Added games and new international fixtures could allow for future rights holders to enter the fray.
Currently, the NFL is split across FOX, CBS, ESPN, and Amazon. However, Turner Sports (TNT) could enter the scene after having lost their rights to the NBA.
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The NFL last shifted its schedule in 2021 when the league increased from 16 to 17 games. The year prior, the league added an extra playoff game.
Goodell’s current NFL permits 14 of its 32 teams to reach the postseason. It’s not inconceivable that an expanded regular season could coincide with a larger playoff picture.
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