The key questions shaping the future of the NFL in Europe

The Jacksonville Jaguars volition big their ninth crippled successful London successful the NFL's aboriginal kickoff connected Sunday erstwhile they look the Denver Broncos astatine Wembley Stadium (streaming unrecorded connected ESPN+). It volition beryllium the 43rd crippled played extracurricular the United States and the continuation of a imagination archetypal tested successful Mexico successful 2005 and past taken into uncharted realms successful London successful 2007.

The task has been thrilling, and palmy -- since emulated by some the NBA and MLB. This play has been 1 of the league's astir ambitious yet, with its hosting of a regular play crippled successful Germany for the archetypal time.

As the 2022 International Series prepares to propulsion the curtain connected different palmy tally successful London, present are the cardinal questions facing the NFL and its ever-increasing European expansion.

Where should the Jaguars telephone home: Wembley oregon Tottenham?

It was erstwhile Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes that took the opening kick-off astatine Wembley successful 2007. That infinitesimal would people the awakening of a imagination for the NFL. It was the archetypal regular-season crippled staged extracurricular North America and the opening of an yearly travel crossed the Atlantic. The information the archetypal crippled took spot successful Wembley Stadium was somewhat sentimental, too, successful the spot that has housed immoderate of the astir seminal moments successful British taste past -- from the 1966 World Cup final, to Queen's infamous acceptable astatine Live Aid.

So far, it has proved successful. Wembley comfortably housed the archetypal 15 planetary games, with the location of English rugby, Twickenham Stadium, not utilized until 9 years aboriginal -- the Giants again christened the NFL's arrival, this clip against the St. Louis Rams successful 2016. But precocious the league has established a caller location successful northbound London astatine the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and enactment simply, it is acold amended for America's nationalist pastime. The stadium tin merchantability each spot successful the location without restricted sightlines. The locker rooms are designed to acceptable the sprawling 52-man roster of an NFL franchise, whereas Wembley splits them into 3 tiny adjoining rooms. Even the property briefing rooms person a much American sensibility. But that was each to beryllium expected fixed the NFL helped money its construction.

The NFL has hosted 2 planetary subordinate combines astatine the stadium, and present holds much games per play than Wembley wherever the Jaguars stay a loyal returned acknowledgment to links with its owner, Shad Kahn, who tried to bargain the stadium successful 2018 and describes it arsenic "home distant from home."

The Jags volition instrumentality to Wembley each twelvemonth until 2024. Maybe they should commencement to reason for a spot astatine Tottenham. After all, it is built for it.

Where is the demand?

International request for the NFL has ne'er been higher, and it's calved retired successful the figures. In July, erstwhile tickets went connected merchantability for the archetypal regular-season crippled to beryllium held successful Germany, a whopping 777,000 radical logged connected to bargain tickets. An NFL spokesperson astatine the clip said they were "overwhelmed" by the interest.

Those figures beryllium the request successful Germany, but akin occurrence stories tin beryllium recovered elsewhere, too. In London, each 3 of this year's games person sold retired and request for tickets has accrued year-on-year, portion successful the U.S., for those who cannot alert to the Games, request has surged also, with the caller Giants-Green Bay Packers crippled the most-watched planetary crippled connected grounds - it attracted 5 cardinal viewers, which was a 55% summation connected the twelvemonth before.

"Growing the league and the crippled internationally is simply a large strategical precedence for the NFL," the league's UK General Manager Henry Hodgson told ESPN successful a written response.

"We cognize that having unrecorded games successful markets and utilizing the powerfulness of athletics and the civilization of our crippled provides a almighty level to link with our avid fans and pull caller fans... We person played games successful London since 2007 and the involvement and request for tickets is stronger than ever."

The request for the crippled is wide-reaching, truthful overmuch truthful the NFL's imagination of a London franchise nary longer seems fanciful but reasonable.

London franchise... however astir a division?

Earlier this month, NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell was speaking up of this year's International Series successful London erstwhile helium made a startling comment. He was talking astir a longstanding thought -- putting an NFL franchise extracurricular the United States - though that's each it has ever been: an idea.

Goodell, sitting successful connected a sheet successful cardinal London, began by expressing his assurance successful the British capital's capableness to clasp the sport.

"There's nary question that London could enactment not conscionable 1 franchise, I deliberation 2 franchises," Goodell said. "I truly judge that. That's from a instrumentality perspective, from a commercialized standpoint and from a media standpoint. I deliberation you [London] person each proven that."

He has said arsenic overmuch before, arsenic person different NFL brass, who spot the sport's aboriginal extracurricular of the U.S., with London ever grabbing the archetypal thought.

But past Goodell went further. Sitting connected his close was Neil Reynolds, the media look of the NFL successful the UK, who joked astir whether the UK was being excessively timid successful its demands. Never caput a franchise, Reynolds said, "what astir a division?"

Goodell's effect was not humorous.

"That's portion of what we're doing, right?" Goodell said. "We're trying to benignant of see, could you person aggregate locations successful Europe wherever you could person an NFL franchise? Because it would beryllium easier arsenic a division."

The taxable has provoked debates successful European NFL circles for decades, but ever remained a talking constituent alternatively than thing concrete. Last year, amid the accomplishment of a caput of the league's European division, Brett Gosper, the league seemed to person each but benched the idea.

In an interrogation past year, Gosper told ESPN: "I deliberation our extremity would beryllium to guarantee that it's viable, that should an proprietor determine that helium wants to bring his squad to London... Everything is successful spot for that to happen. But that truly is simply a determination for an proprietor to make, and they each person precise beardown relationships with the cities they're progressive with currently."

He continued to accidental that the NFL would question to turn the crippled without depending connected a London franchise, specified arsenic attempting to adhd Flag Football to the Olympic programme. Yet Goodell's comments look much optimistic.

For now, it remains a talking point. But that thought conscionable got overmuch much ambitious.

London, Germany, Mexico... Who other should get a game?

This play marks a landmark twelvemonth successful the NFL's planetary development. For the archetypal time, the league volition big a regular-season crippled successful Germany, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking connected the Seattle Seahawks astatine Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena connected Nov. 13.

Hopes for the crippled are high. It volition beryllium the archetypal clip the NFL has hosted events successful the state since the decease of the NFL Europe league, wherever German fans provided a passionate, beer-filled backbone. The league is hoping that a likewise zealous ambiance takes spot adjacent month.

Its plans successful Germany are long-term: The NFL volition big adjacent month's crippled successful Munich, but volition alteration absorption adjacent play with the crippled played successful Deutsche Bank Park successful Frankfurt successful 2023. The 2 cities volition past alternate -- Munich successful 2024 and Frankfurt successful 2025, and truthful on.

Each squad is present required to signifier astatine slightest 1 planetary crippled each 8 years. All of this provokes a question: Where does the NFL spot its aboriginal successful Europe? A ample fig of German fans person ever been contiguous for London-based games, with their enactment and infrastructure comfortably capable to clasp much than 1 crippled per year. Prior to the pandemic, London annually hosted four. This season, the fig of games played extracurricular the U.S. volition beryllium five, including the Arizona Cardinals' clash with the San Francisco 49ers connected Monday Night Football successful Mexico City.

Gosper had an reply to this question past year. "Having 3 oregon 4 games successful London would beryllium great," helium said. "Having two, perchance three, successful Germany would beryllium great, too. Maybe get a crippled successful France."

"Beyond that, you person to person the bandwidth and the complication astir that mightiness go a spot excessive. But let's spot what the aboriginal holds."