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The 5 Expansion Cities for an International NFL Team

international NFL Team

If the league is serious about going global then it needs to add an international NFL team. Here are five overseas cities that could host a franchise.

5. Düsseldorf, Germany

The old NFL Europa that ran from 1991-2007 had five of its six teams based in Germany in its final format. One of those teams which represented the area was Rhein Fire, a team that managed to average crowds of over 25,000 in the final year of the league.

An international NFL Team in Dusseldorf could easily work. In the Europa League days Dusseldorf hosted 4 of 15 World Bowls. American football was so popular in the city it competed head-to-head in popularity with soccer.

Düsseldorf went close to hosting an NFL International Series game. The city was pipped at the post by Frankfurt and Munich. American Football’s popularity in Dusseldorf could land the city an international NFL team.

4. Toronto, Canada

Canada is capable of hosting an international NFL team with an estimated 7 million NFL fans in the country. Toronto makes the most sense as the fourth-largest city in North America.

The Buffalo Bills played six regular season NFL games in Toronto averaging crowds over 47,000. Canadian Football League team the Toronto Argonauts are also the oldest professional sports team in North America to use their original name.

Toronto needs to attract more NFL international series fixtures and the 52,000-seat Rogers Center falls short of the minimum 65,000-seats needed for an NFL stadium.

3. Frankfurt, Germany

There’s no team more deserving of an international NFL Team than Frankfurt. The Frankfurt Galaxy were the most successful team in NFL Europa winning four World Bowls. They also had the highest attendances in the league with an average of over 33,000 in 2007.

Frankfurt has become an NFL International Series host city and almost 20 million Germans are fans of American football, so an international NFL Team in the country makes sense.

Outside of North America, Germany has had the most players in the league including one of the best international NFL players of all time Sebastian Vollmer.

2. Mexico City, Mexico

A regular among the NFL International Series is Mexico City, one of the favourite cities for the next NFL expansion teams. 

Mexico City hosted the first international regular season NFL game in 2005 and set an attendance record of 103,467 in the process. The record for any NFL game was set in Mexico City in 1994 when 112,376 watched a preseason game between Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers.

An international NFL Team in Mexico is logistically easier than having a team in Europe. Outside of America, Mexico has more NFL fans than anywhere in the world with more than 22 million fans.

1. London, England

London is most likely to get an international NFL Team and has been for some time now. It’s been the feature location for the NFL International Series since 2007 with four games featuring in the city in 2019.

An estimated 15 million fans follow American football in the United Kingdom. The NFL International Series has already helped prove that it is logistically possible to travel across the Atlantic for NFL games.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have continuously been rumoured to be relocating to London. The city has also hosted the London Monarchs during the NFL Europa days.

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