The NFL wraps the first European leg of its 2026 world tour in Paris this weekend. Meanwhile, Commissioner Roger Goodell already has his sights set on Tokyo in the next season or so.
What We Know: Goodell spoke Friday morning with NFL Daily hosts Gregg Rosenthal and Jourdan Rodrigue from the French capital. This season, the league is playing a record nine games outside the United States. That slate includes three in London, plus Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. Additionally, Melbourne, Rio and Paris are all first-time hosts. However, the success of the NFL’s opener in Melbourne was a proof of concept for the league who looks to expand more in the coming years.
What They Said: Roger Goodell (via NFL Daily): “Tokyo is clearly on our list, whether it’s next year or the year after. It’s coming at some point in the near future. We’re going to continue to focus on our priority markets, which a lot of them they’ve been in, but there are other cities; this year, we went to Rio rather than São Paulo.
Roger Goodell: “On a Friday morning at 10:30 (a.m.), to have 100,000 people in the stadium, it was just an incredible feeling for us. I think it’s opened up new opportunities for us. The travel is something we think we can manage and do it without impacting negatively on the teams. So, each of these we learned something from and we benefit and we also open those other doors. We’re planning on playing global. That’s where we’re going.”
What Remains Unclear: Goodell did not commit to a specific year for Tokyo. Similarly, the league has not finalized its 2027 international schedule. Earlier this week, league vice president Peter O’Reilly said the NFL was “considering” 10 international games in 2027. However, it remains unknown which new cities might join the rotation.
What It Means: Tokyo would not be new ground for the NFL. In fact, the league played 14 exhibition games in Japan between 1976 and 2005. Two decades later, the NFL plays nine international games a season, and Tokyo looks closer than ever. The opportunity will also be another way in which the NFL could add more inventory to new rights agreements or extensions with other potential partners.
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