Jets vs Vikings in London: Who is the home team and why?

NFL Sunday is kicking off a little earlier in Week 5 as the first of the three games in London takes place between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. This will be the second game of the 2024 NFL International Series, with the first having taken place in São Paulo, Brazil between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers.

The Vikings are currently the big surprise team of the season, sitting at a pretty 4-0. Quarterback Sam Darnold, who took over for injured J.J. McCarthy, and whom almost everyone underestimated coming into the season, is now in the MVP running. This Sunday, he heads across the pond to take on the team who drafted him back in 2018, the Jets.

The Jets, with Aaron Rodgers under center, are currently at 2-2 to start the season and coming off a pretty brutal loss to the Denver Broncos in their own home.

The game between the Jets and Vikings will be this Sunday, October 6 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home of the English Premier League soccer team, in London, England with a 9:30 a.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local time) kickoff.

How does the NFL determine the home team for international NFL games?

With all the international games the NFL is hosting these days, it begs the question - who gets to be the home team in these international games? The NFL has a method for that.

When the league changed to a 17-game schedule in 2021, the AFC and NFC teams began to alternate seasons in which they host nine home games. The host team for the international games will be selected based on which conference has the ninth home game - that way, both teams will host at least eight games in their home stadium for the season.

Who is the home team for the Jets vs Vikings in London?

In the 2024 season, the NFC will have nine regular-season home games, so the “home team” for the Week 5 game in London is the Minnesota Vikings. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’ll have the home-field advantage. In fact, it doesn’t really mean anything at all, except that the Jets won’t lose a home game for the season.

NFL International Series: Bigger every year

The international NFL games are getting more and more popular each year. The NFL now hosts three (sometimes even more) games in the UK each season, will hold its third annual game in Germany later this season, held the first game in Brazil this year, and will host its first game in Spain next season. It’s a way for the league to grow the game of football across the globe as well as give international fans a chance to actually attend a game.

Those in London will attest to the fact that they love the opportunity to go to a game, regardless of which team is playing, as they may otherwise never get the chance.

Read More: The rise of the NFL in the UK

The game in Brazil took place in Week 1 and was just the second game of the season after the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens opened the season for Thursday Night Football. That leaves four more international games left in the 2024 season: