The National League Football is America’s most popular sports league, and it has made it openly clear that it plans to expand its reach beyond the shores of the country.
For a long time, the league has experimented playing games internationally over the years, with the first of its kind being a 2005 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico.
The league is once again planning to tour internationally, beginning in October. For the first time ever, three different countries in Europe and North America will host the 2022 NFL international series. There will be five international games played; three in the United Kingdom, one in Mexico, and one on German soil.
Last year, the league announced that it would be expanding the regular season, beginning from the 2022 season. With that being said, the 2022 international games would feature ten teams who made the playoffs last year, plus the NFC North and NFC South champions.
It is worth noting that the 2021 NFL international series only featured two games, both played in London; the Atlanta Falcons vs the New York Jets, and the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Miami Dolphins.
Here’s the NFL 2022 schedule for international games as announced by the league:
- Fixture: Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints
Date: Sunday, Oct. 2
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Live broadcast: NFL Network
- Fixture: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers
Date: Sunday, Oct. 9
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Live broadcast: NFL Network
- Fixture: Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Live broadcast: ESPN+
- Fixture: Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Date: Sunday, Nov. 13
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live broadcast: NFL Network
- Fixture: San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Date: Monday, Nov. 21
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Live broadcast: ESPN
Source: NFL.com
The 2022 NFL international games kick off with consecutive weekends in North London at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, where the EPL soccer team, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., plays its home games.
This year will mark the third time the Saints and Vikings play in the UK. The two teams will play at Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the first time ever. Both teams have won their previous two UK games, so it will definitely be interesting, and you can place a bet online to see who comes out on top come Sunday, October 2.
The next Sunday will feature the NFC North champions, the Green Bay Packers, led by Aaron Rodgers and the New York Giants. Green Bay earned a spot in this year’s international series after clinching the NFC North for the third year in a row. This marks their first-ever regular season game overseas.
As for the Giants, this will be their third appearance on London soil. They were previously featured in 2007 at Wembley Stadium against the Dolphins and in 2016 at Twickenham against the Los Angeles Rams, winning both games.
Next is the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium. This venue was the first stadium in Europe to host a regular season NFL game as 81,176 fans were present to watch the face-off between the Giants and Dolphins.
The Jaguars are making their ninth regular season trip overseas. They were featured in a 26-3 loss against the Houston Texans at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium last year, but will be returning to Wembley after previously making seven straight appearances from 2013 to 2019.
The Broncos are making their first trip back to the UK since their 24-14 loss against the 49ers at Wembley in 2010. Denver’s superstar QB Russell Wilson will be making his first international appearance as well.
On November 13, the NFL will play its first-ever regular season game in Germany featuring the two-time Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Super Bowl XLVIII winners the Seattle Seahawks. The game will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Bavaria where Bundesliga soccer team FC Bayern Munich plays its home games.
The NFL will bring the final game of the international series close to home at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The venue is no stranger to NFL games and will yet again host a NFC West rivalry game between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals, a rematch of the first-ever NFL regular season game played outside the US.
NFL International Regular Season Games Since 2017
2017
Ravens (7) vs Jaguars (44) – Wembley
Saints (20) vs Dolphins (0) – Wembley
Cardinals (0) vs Rams (33) – Twickenham
Vikings (33) vs Browns (16) – Twickenham
Patriots (33) vs Raiders (8) – Azteca
2018
Seahawks (27) vs Raiders (3) Wembley
Titans (19) vs Chargers (20) – Wembley
Eagles (24) vs Jaguars (18) – Wembley
2019
Bears (17) vs Raiders (21) – Tottenham
Panthers (37) vs Buccaneers (26) – Tottenham
Bengals (10) vs Rams (24) – Wembley
Texans (26) vs Jaguars (3) – Wembley
Chiefs (24) vs Chargers (17) – Azteca
Jets (20) vs Falcons (27) Tottenham
2021
Dolphins (20) vs Jaguars (23) – Tottenham
