Report: NFL seeking to max out 2026 international games

The NFL is seeking to add two more international games to the 2026 schedule that would bring the total to the nine maximum allowed for the first time, according to a report by the Sports Business Journal.

The league already confirmed it will play a game in Australia, and commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL will return to Mexico City for the first time since 2022. Brazil also has been confirmed as site for 2026, which will be the finale of a three-year commitment for games in Rio de Janeiro.

This season's schedule includes three games in the United Kingdom and one each in Brazil, Germany, Ireland and Spain. According to the SBJ, it is uncertain whether Ireland will remain in the rotation in 2026, which could open a spot for a new market.

Last week, Saudi General Entertainment Authority chair Turki Alalshikh said he wants the NFL to play in his country. However, Saudi Arabia is not among the 21 current countries that the NFL has awarded team marketing rights to.

A 2023 resolution permits a maximum of eight league-operated international games in addition to the Jacksonville Jaguars' annual London game.

"We have seven games this year, and six of those are league organized, and we do believe next year there will be more than that," NFL Senior VP/Managing Director International Gerrit Meier said, per the SBJ. "Whether that leads to the maximum of eight league organized games or not, we will see, but the definite idea is to get ourselves more to the maximum."

--Field Level Media