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- New Orleans Saints confirmed as one participant in Paris game
- Madrid and Mexico City to be regular stops as part of multi-year deals
The National Football League (NFL) will hold its first regular season game in Paris during the 2026 season and will return to Madrid and Mexico City as part of a record slate of nine international matchups.
The New Orleans Saints have been conformed as one of the participating teams at Paris’s Stade de France given they already hold international marketing rights to France as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program. Their opponent and the date of the Paris game will be revealed later in the year.
“We are excited to be selected to play in the first regular season game to be held in France,” said Saints owner Gayle Benson. “This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris.”
The NFL said it has over 14 million fans in France, which now becomes the fifth European country to host a NFL regular season game, joining the UK, Germany, Ireland and Spain.
After a successful debut last November, Madrid has secured a multi-year agreement to continue hosting fixtures at Real Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium
Three of the league’s franchises hold marketing rights in Spain, in the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears. The Dolphins won in the inaugural game, defeating the Washington Commanders in a country estimated to have 11 million NFL fans.
Meanwhile, the league will return to Mexico City for the first time in four years as part of a three-year deal. Estadio Banorte will stage games again, having done so for five previous encounters.
Mexico is considered to have the largest NFL fanbase for any market outside of the US, with 40 million NFL fans. Its large market size has enticed ten franchises to gain marketing rights for the country.
As part of the games agreement, Mexican broadcaster TelevisaUnivision has extended its broadcast deal with the NFL.
No teams were confirmed for either game in Madrid or Mexico City, with the NFL schedule to be released in the spring. In addition to the three aforementioned countries, games will be held in London, Munich, Rio de Janeiro and in Australia’s Melbourne, which is also making its debut this year.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has previously said he wants the NFL to play up to 16 international games, allowing for every franchise to play at least one match abroad.
“It’s the ambition we have to be a global sport,” Goodell said at his Super Bowl news conference this week. “But it’s also the demand we’re having. We’re hearing from cities that want to host these games and really want to get more American football.”
SportsPro says…
Already a juggernaut in the US, the NFL now has become one of the most recognisable leagues around the world thanks to strong media partnerships, its international marketing strategy, which involves flag football and community program, and staging games in countries that have little or no American football history.
The addition of Paris demonstrates the league’s willingness to break into new markets, while re-committing to Madrid and Mexico City indicates the league will not go back on its ambition to eventually have all 32 teams travel during the regular season.
By playing more international games, the NFL could open up new revenue streams to further bolster its finances. A previous report indicated it was considering selling off a new package of media rights covering its expanded international game slate for more than US$1 billion.
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