Recently, the National Football League (NFL) announced it will add more international games for teams in 2026. So far, there have been nine confirmed international games for the 2026 season, and the league is still expanding into new countries such as Brazil, Spain, and Ireland.
With every team now part of the NFL’s Global Market Program, it can be assumed that the end goal is for every team to play an international game in the same season.
Aside from logistics, this expansion sounds amazing for the future of American football. The more games are held in different countries, the more people worldwide can enjoy the sport, thereby increasing its overall viewership and popularity. While NFL players may be excited about these new international games, there is still concern about the inconsistent travel.
Overall, this sounds like good news for football fans, but the pushback is understandable. Introducing more international games would take away from home games and games hosted in the United States overall. For example, last season saw the Los Angeles Chargers “host” the Kansas City Chiefs in the league’s first game in São Paulo, Brazil. Los Angeles was the designated home team, which meant they lost an actual home game later in the season. Fans are concerned that the more the league focuses on international games, the fewer home games there will be.
These concerns are valid, as players note that travel is very tiring and inconsistent. So, who’s to say that if this continues, NFL players won’t be burned out from back-to-back games? The amount of turmoil one game leaves on a player’s body is already a lot, so just imagine air travel, back-to-back games, and healing.
With this in mind, fans agree that players do not have enough time to heal and that games hosted in the United States will suffer from the addition of more international games. These international games are also becoming mandatory for every team to participate in.
The league understands public pushback and notes that safety and well-being are its top priority. Players will be cared for after every game to prevent injury.
The league is also still pushing its main agenda with the expansion of American football. They see this not only as a way to expand football’s reach in foreign media, but also as a way for younger kids to see football the way American kids do, so that they can get more involved, and football won’t just be “American football.”
Football is widely represented throughout the world. While this is positive, how will it play out? Fans are again concerned because football isn’t widely practiced, so bringing national football players overseas to play against teams that lack the skills and advantages seems like a waste of time for the players.
That said, this is still a growing proposition, and none of us truly know where it will go. The expansion of football will definitely bring it more attention overseas. Still, the effects on players’ health and American viewership are, overall, a rocky topic, and only time will tell how the introduction of more international games will affect football’s future. Fans expect this to mark a major growth in football, and who is included in it.
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