Inside the NFL’s push for world domination

The Carolina Panthers beat the New York Giants in overtime Sunday morning in the NFL's fifth and final international game of the season, which was held in Munich, Germany.

And while this year’s slate of international NFL games is now in the books, the league is just getting started on a master plan to spread its fandom across the globe.

• Hours ahead of Sunday’s contest in Munich, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed the league is aiming for a record-high eight international games next year, including potentially the first-ever regular season game in Ireland.
• And, like a perpetual-motion desk toy, the NFL isn’t stopping there. Goodell says league owners will likely soon vote to double the number of international games to 16 – creating a scenario where all 32 teams could play one such contest per year.
• Additionally, the commissioner last month said there’s a possibility the Super Bowl will be hosted outside the US at some point in the future.

Divide and conquer

Much like territorial maps of yore, the NFL has divided up the globe among different teams through its Global Markets Program. Within the program, all 32 clubs have the option to apply for marketing rights to a specific territory on an annual basis, with no limits currently set on how many teams can target a certain market.

• This season, 25 franchises are participating in the program across 19 international markets (shown above☝️).

📝 Bottom line: Professional football has never been stronger financially. The NFL earned a record $13 billion in revenue last year – $1+ billion more than in 2022 – while the average team is now worth ~$6.5 billion, or 4x higher than a decade ago. But as the league tries to sustain these growth trends, there’s less and less room for expansion within the US – making international markets a top priority.

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