NFL planning 8 international games for 2025 UPD and more in 2026

[Summer Rose]

If the NFL thought they could make more money by hosting games in college stadiums a few times a year they'd have done it by now. As someone said up thread, gate revenue is actually a pretty small fraction of the NFL's total revenue. A bonus of that is that NFL tickets are actually pretty affordable despite it being a huge-revenue league (#1 league in the world if I recall).

The ticket prices if they hosted a game at a college stadium would have to be a significant, I mean significant markup in order for them to come out ahead as opposed to just a regular game at the team's normal stadium.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Bringing some top players back to the campuses where they once starred should be a huge selling point for the NFL to start staging games in college stadiums every year. Like my aforementioned proposal to have the Chargers play the Seahawks at Autzen Stadium in 2026 and in the process make it a homecoming for Chargers and former Oregon QB Justin Herbert.

Also, the Chiefs can play the Texans at Texas Tech in 2028, bringing Patrick Mahomes back to the campus where he became a star.

If the Bengals and Saints finish in the same position in their divisions in 2027, they would play the next season, and the NFL could take advantage by placing the game in Tiger Stadium on the LSU campus. Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals were key contributors to the LSU team that won the national championship in 2019.

 

[sneakytitz]

If the NFL were keen on relocating games domestically, I think they would do something akin to the 2016 Battle at Bristol where 156,000 college football fans watched Tennessee and Virginia Tech watched a game at a NASCAR track. The MLB is doing the same this year, at the same venue, with the Braves and Reds. Don't know if it'll sell quite as well but it will be a thing to behold.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

If the NFL were keen on relocating games domestically, I think they would do something akin to the 2016 Battle at Bristol where 156,000 college football fans watched Tennessee and Virginia Tech watched a game at a NASCAR track. The MLB is doing the same this year, at the same venue, with the Braves and Reds. Don't know if it'll sell quite as well but it will be a thing to behold.

That's another suggestion I had.

Besides college stadiums they can do auto racing and horse racing venues in metro areas with no NFL team.

The Ravens and Bengals for instance can play at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It would be a home gsme for the Bengals, but it would mark the return of Lamar Jackson to the city where he played college football.

 

[Voight]

That's another suggestion I had.

Besides college stadiums they can do auto racing and horse racing venues in metro areas with no NFL team.

The Ravens and Bengals for instance can play at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It would be a home gsme for the Bengals, but it would mark the return of Lamar Jackson to the city where he played college football.

I can promise you Churchill Downs would tell the NFL thanks but no thanks. Aside from the fact that it's such a well maintained facility, there's also not really any room to put an NFL field there without altering the track itself and moving a ton of stuff around. They'd rather just not do it.

 

[Voight]

The league has consistently shown it will sell itself for a $1 more

Which is why even though some people dont want to believe it, we are getting ever closer to an NFL game being played in Saudi Arabia.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

I can promise you Churchill Downs would tell the NFL thanks but no thanks. Aside from the fact that it's such a well maintained facility, there's also not really any room to put an NFL field there without altering the track itself and moving a ton of stuff around. They'd rather just not do it.

If Churchill Downs turns them down, the Ravens-Bengals game in Louisville can be played at U of L.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I think the NFL would be more likely to host 'bowl' style neutral site games between northern teams in desirable locations (LA, MIA, LV, etc) they already have control over, than they would ever to host games at college stadiums, where they're paying the school rent or sharing revenue. Most of these stadiums are old and don't have a ton of suites, that's where the money is.

(NOTE: This is a completely ridiculous idea that will never happen, but I stand by it being more likely than college games)