NFL Moves Closer to 10 International Games—and Could Hit 11
The league builds out further its international scheduling plans.
ORLANDO — The NFL’s pursuit of global domination has taken a critical procedural step. Team owners on Tuesday at the league’s spring meeting approved a plan that will increase the maximum number of league-run international games beginning with the 2027 season from eight to 10. The NFL is all but certain to hit that upper limit next year, particularly given its keen interest in staging more non-U.
S. games. With the Jaguars’ separate agreement to play part of their home schedule in the U.
K. , the total number of international games next year could ultimately reach 11, but that would require a supplemental agreement with the NFL Players Association. Regardless of how that nets out, the NFL is set to move beyond the league-record nine such contests planned for 2026 .
As it does so, the league will focus primarily on existing global markets, but also potentially include new ones that the NFL is looking to develop. “We’re in the process of exploring what ’27 looks like and there’s a path to 10 [international games] in 2027,” said NFL EVP Peter O’Reilly. “There’s some new markets that we’re looking at … parts of the world that we’re also looking at, maybe not 2027 but beyond.