Winners and losers from NFL international schedule: Jags, 49ers among the suffering

The most substantial puzzle piece yet of the NFL ’s 2026 regular-season schedule fell into place Wednesday, May 13, when the league revealed the full details of this year’s landmark international schedul e – a record-setting nine games set to be played outside the borders of the United States. The NFL’s latest batch of exports – tariff-free so far as we know – is a small, but growing, slice of a 272-piece pie, yet one worth a bit of further examination one day ahead of the complete reveal of the entire 2026 docket. As such, let’s parse a few winners and losers from the upcoming international slate.

WINNERS NFL’s international footprint The league's quest for world domination continues – to the point that international matchups are an increasingly commonplace aspect of the schedule. This year, the NFL will stage games in four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums outside of America. “The 2026 NFL season will feature our most expansive and ambitious international slate yet, with regular-season games spanning Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City,” Peter O’Reilly, the league’s executive vice president of club business, major events and international, said in a statement.

“This year’s record-breaking schedule will see a host of world-class NFL franchises and star athletes play in some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, underlying the league’s global growth vision and bringing our fans internationally closer to the game than ever before. ” It doesn’t seem like we’re very far from all 32 teams playing internationally once per season – which would mean one game abroad almost weekly as the league tries to further slake the foreign appetite for its most valuable inventory while also (likely) staving off any urge to expand outside the U. S.

… and the logistical nightmare that would entail. For now. More: How many NFL international games are there in 2026?