Spain is a powerful contender to be the following worldwide host of a regular-season NFL sport and it might occur as quickly as 2024.
The league is holding 5 video games in Europe this season — three in London adopted by two in Germany — and has focused Spain and France as the following European locations because it aggressively tries to broaden its worldwide footprint.
“We’re actually trying on the viability of locations similar to Spain and France in Europe,” Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK, advised The Related Press in an interview. “That’s why we’re at all times firsthand stadia and cities in the event that they align with our strategic targets in these markets.”
Brazil is amongst different international locations that the league has recognized as potential hosts. ESPN reported Sunday that the league has despatched officers to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, in addition to to Madrid, to assemble data.
When requested if subsequent season is viable for a brand new metropolis, Gosper mentioned: “We don’t have sufficient data to say that with full confidence but. We’re analyzing that chance together with years past that.”
Stadium availability pushes France — Paris particularly — under Spain in the mean time. Paris is internet hosting the 2024 Olympics.
“If you’re speaking France, you’ve obtained the Olympics, you’ve obtained a bit little bit of uncertainty round licensing and leasing of the Stade de France, which might be the important thing stadium in France,” Gosper mentioned.
“So in all probability Spain has the sting when it comes to the practicalities that we’re presently.”
Actual Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is almost achieved with main renovations that embody a soccer pitch that retracts to make manner for a synthetic turf subject that can be utilized for American soccer with a capability over 80,000. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has a long-term cope with the NFL to host London video games, has an identical system. Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium seats 68,000.
“We’re actually having an in depth take a look at all stadia throughout Spain and different markets. There’s the Bernabeu, however there are different choices as nicely,” Gosper mentioned.
Barcelona’s Camp Nou is Europe’s largest soccer stadium however it’s present process renovations.
Worldwide growth was one purpose why the NFL added a seventeenth sport to the schedule.
London has hosted video games since 2007. Final 12 months, Munich hosted the primary NFL regular-season sport in Germany. Two video games can be performed in Frankfurt later this season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are enjoying back-to-back video games in London beginning subsequent Sunday — first a “dwelling” sport in opposition to the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium adopted by an “away” sport in opposition to the Buffalo Payments at Tottenham.
Twenty-one groups are taking part within the NFL’s international markets program in 2023 throughout 14 worldwide international locations. The league has expressed curiosity in bringing video games to a number of of these markets and hasn’t dominated out placing a franchise abroad sooner or later.
Final 12 months, league commissioner Roger Goodell even floated the concept of getting a full European division of groups.
Underneath the worldwide markets program, the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins have industrial rights in Spain. Earlier this 12 months, the league granted the New Orleans Saints advertising and marketing rights in France — a primary for that nation.
The Dolphins are the one staff with rights in Brazil.
“There’s undoubtedly a number of curiosity round Europe and different components of the world to host video games, whether or not they be regular-season video games or preseason video games doubtlessly in locations the place the time zone doesn’t match,” Gosper mentioned.
“There’s much more demand for that than there may be stock to supply,” he added.
That’s why the league hopes that “a few of these international market program groups will step up in some unspecified time in the future” and transfer one in every of their dwelling video games to a brand new worldwide metropolis, he mentioned.
With newly attained rights in Eire, the Pittsburgh Steelers try to develop their fan base there in hopes of ultimately staging a regular-season sport at Croke Park in Dublin.
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