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)

 

[Voight]

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

Sure but again, the NFL has no reason to play games at neutral sites. I dont see them or any teams paying money to use someone else's stadium, and there really isn't a benefit to them doing this.

 

[edog37]

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.

Yep

 

[aqib]

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.

That would make sense for pre-season games. Season ticket holders hate them because they have to pay full-price for practice games. It doesn't make sense for regular season games. The international games are one thing because if you're in Europe or Brazil traveling to an NFL game isn't as easy. What's the benefit of having Saints-Bengals at LSU when New Orleans is 90 minutes away? If the Chargers are playing the Seahawks, people from Oregon can just drive the 4 hours to Seattle. Why should season ticket holders get shafted from seeing a rare matchup? One of the perks of being a season ticket holder is that you eventually get to see every team.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

That would make sense for pre-season games. Season ticket holders hate them because they have to pay full-price for practice games. It doesn't make sense for regular season games. The international games are one thing because if you're in Europe or Brazil traveling to an NFL game isn't as easy. What's the benefit of having Saints-Bengals at LSU when New Orleans is 90 minutes away? If the Chargers are playing the Seahawks, people from Oregon can just drive the 4 hours to Seattle. Why should season ticket holders get shafted from seeing a rare matchup? One of the perks of being a season ticket holder is that you eventually get to see every team.

Another point is easier access for people living in these college towns.

 

[aqib]

Another point is easier access for people living in these college towns.

Yeah and people in college towns probably won't be paying NFL level prices either. College stadiums also don't have the premium amenities so teams would lose money on the deal. There is a reason why the Cardinals moved out of Sun Devil Stadium. Neutral site games make sense for NHL, NBA, and MLB where you have such a huge inventory of home games. When you only have 8-9 it doesn't make sense to give up a home game to move it within driving distance.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Yeah and people in college towns probably won't be paying NFL level prices either. College stadiums also don't have the premium amenities so teams would lose money on the deal. There is a reason why the Cardinals moved out of Sun Devil Stadium. Neutral site games make sense for NHL, NBA, and MLB where you have such a huge inventory of home games. When you only have 8-9 it doesn't make sense to give up a home game to move it within driving distance.

Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium was meant to be temporary. They only played there 18 years because a string of bad luck kept the team from breaking ground on their permanent stadium until 2003.

College stadiums have a certain charm that stadiums designed for the NFL lack.

 

[Summer Rose]

Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium was meant to be temporary. They only played there 18 years because a string of bad luck kept the team from breaking ground on their permanent stadium until 2003.

College stadiums have a certain charm that stadiums designed for the NFL lack.

My family held Cardinals season tickets during the Sun Devil Stadium era. It was pretty awful, since ASU at least played their home games earlier in the season at night. The NFL didn't, and the Cardinals were pretty bad so were very rarely featured in the night games. Those early season games on Sunday afternoons in a concrete stadium with metal benches for seats were absolutely dreadful. One thing I remember from the smattering of newspaper articles I read at the time about the Cardinals' quest for a new stadium is that they once had a site selected and the deal was effectively done, but there was suddenly a concern about the height of the building because it was underneath the approach to the airport. The amended agreement was that they would dig down into the ground in order to lower the height of the building, and even started work on doing just that, only to have someone from some side say "no" to the whole thing anyway. I don't remember all the details I even knew (which wasn't the whole story), but I do have distinct memories of passing by the stadium's site and seeing excavation work being done.

They quite literally had "shovels in the ground" on the project, which is why I would joke that if/when the Coyotes got a new arena to replace the arena in Glendale, not even "shovels in the ground" would convince me that the arena would actually be completed.

 

[GKJ]

That would make sense for pre-season games. Season ticket holders hate them because they have to pay full-price for practice games. It doesn't make sense for regular season games. The international games are one thing because if you're in Europe or Brazil traveling to an NFL game isn't as easy. What's the benefit of having Saints-Bengals at LSU when New Orleans is 90 minutes away? If the Chargers are playing the Seahawks, people from Oregon can just drive the 4 hours to Seattle. Why should season ticket holders get shafted from seeing a rare matchup? One of the perks of being a season ticket holder is that you eventually get to see every team.

Those international sites also likely buy out the game from the home team. The Eagles didn’t give up a home game last season out of the goodness of their hearts, especially when it only left them with 7. The City of Philadelphia has (had?) it written in the lease with the team that any Eagles home game must be played at the Linc.

 

[aqib]

Those international sites also likely buy out the game from the home team. The Eagles didn’t give up a home game last season out of the goodness of their hearts, especially when it only left them with 7. The City of Philadelphia has (had?) it written in the lease with the team that any Eagles home game must be played at the Linc.

Tickets prices for the international games are higher. Fans in those countries are going to pay a premium because they don't have access to live NFL games without an expensive plane ticket. People aren't going to pay extra to go to a Seahawks game at Oregon State's stadium a 4 hour drive from their normal stadium. Its the same reason why the Bills in Toronto Series flopped. People weren't paying 2-3X what it would cost to go to a Bills game in Buffalo

I don't know about the Brazil stadium but the London and Germany stadiums have luxury boxes and premium seats since they are the home stadiums for big-time soccer teams.

 

[GKJ]

Tickets prices for the international games are higher. Fans in those countries are going to pay a premium because they don't have access to live NFL games without an expensive plane ticket. People aren't going to pay extra to go to a Seahawks game at Oregon State's stadium a 4 hour drive from their normal stadium. Its the same reason why the Bills in Toronto Series flopped. People weren't paying 2-3X what it would cost to go to a Bills game in Buffalo

I don't know about the Brazil stadium but the London and Germany stadiums have luxury boxes and premium seats since they are the home stadiums for big-time soccer teams.

The idea is that fans in Oregon would go to the game. The same thing that happened in Toronto. But they’re not Oregon or Toronto teams.

The Bills are good now though, I bet it would do better if they played another game in Toronto. People in Buffalo would be less mad about it because it’s not the NFL floating a test balloon in the market, and more of them would show up.

But as has been said any number of times, the NFL is not a gate league, it’s made for TV.