The NFL’s next expansion might not be in the U.S.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says an international team is “very possible someday”, which fits neatly into everything the league has been doing lately.
Super Bowl LX closed an NFL season that already felt a little different than usual. The league played a record number of regular-season games outside the United States, committed to even more in 2026, and staged its most globally minded halftime show yet.
Against that backdrop, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s recent comments during Super Bowl week seemed like a soft launch of an idea the league has been carefully preparing fans for.
NFL laying the groundwork to live abroad
Goodell was asked about potentially expanding the league and adding more teams, something that hasn’t been done since the Houston Texans were added in 2002.
“You can think of expansion as the number of teams, or you can think of expansion as us playing in international markets,” Goodell said on Westwood One Sports, reframing what “growth” actually means for the NFL in 2026 and beyond.
The league’s footprint has grown dramatically, despite not having added any new teams in over 20 years. London has hosted NFL games for more than a decade, Germany has quickly become a staple, Brazil debuted as a host last season, and Mexico City is back on the schedule in 2026. The Jaguars have essentially functioned as a part-time London team since 2013, proof of a concept hiding in plain sight.
Goodell acknowledged as much, saying there are already international cities capable of supporting a full-time franchise. The commissioner stressed the league is still in the “early stages,” but notably, he did not shut the door.
“I don’t take international expansion off the table,” he said. “I think it’s very possible someday.”
Before any new franchise appears, the NFL wants more of its existing teams to travel. League executive Jeff Miller described the ideal scenario as every team playing one international game per season, a model that would naturally lead to 16 games abroad, half the league’s weekly slate.
That vision, however, runs headfirst into resistance from the players’ side. NFLPA leadership has been clear there’s little appetite for an expanded schedule, even as owners openly discuss the possibility of an 18-game regular season. Patriots owner Robert Kraft went as far as to predict both an 18-game schedule and mandatory overseas games for every team, though Goodell later walked back the idea that either was guaranteed.
Where the NFL sees global demand, many players see added wear, travel, and risk. Still, the league appears committed to pushing the international experiment as far as it can within current limits and seeing what holds.
If anyone doubted how serious the NFL is about its international ambitions, Super Bowl LX’s halftime show offered a loud visual answer. Bad Bunny’s performance wasn’t just entertainment. It was a cultural statement. Singing and speaking largely in Spanish, waving flags from across the Americas, and ending with a football reading “Together We Are America”, the show mirrored the league’s evolving identity. The NFL is no longer selling itself as a strictly American product, and is pitching football as a global one.
Goodell brushed off concerns about political messaging ahead of the performance, focusing instead on Bad Bunny’s global reach. The choice itself spoke volumes.
An international NFL team still feels far off logistically, competitively, and culturally. But the path toward one is becoming easier to imagine. First come more games abroad. Then deeper fan bases. Then, eventually, the question stops being if an international team could work, and becomes where it would go first.
If Goodell is right, the NFL isn’t just exporting football anymore. It’s testing the idea of planting roots and staying there.
Related stories
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.