One International Game Every Year for Each NFL Team is on ‘The Horizon’

Could an increase in international regular-season games a year be in the near future for the NFL?

It’s certainly a possibility. In fact, an “international game every year for every team” is “probably on the horizon,” according to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, per NBC Sports.

Blank’s comments during an interview at Falcons training camp on Saturday come months after league commissioner Roger Goodell said last fall that the NFL wants to stage 16 international games per year. 

The league is limited to a maximum of 10 international games per year under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, but that number is reportedly widely expected to increase to 16 in the next labor deal.

With 32 NFL teams, that would be a big lift for the league to schedule that many international games every season.

In May, the league announced the full matchups for all but one game in its record seven-game international slate, which includes the Minnesota Vikings playing back-to-back games in different European countries (Ireland and England). The one matchup that hasn’t been announced is who the Los Angeles Chargers will play in Week 1 in Brazil.

The current schedule is:

• Week 1 (Friday, Sept. 5): TBD vs. Chargers at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil (Time TBD)
• Week 4 (Sunday, Sept. 28): Vikings vs. Steelers at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland (9:30 a.m. ET)
• Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 5): Vikings vs. Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England (9:30 a.m. ET)
• Week 6 (Sunday, Oct. 12): Broncos vs. Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England (9:30 a.m. ET)
• Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 19): Rams vs. Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in Wembley, England (9:30 a.m. ET)
• Week 10 (Sunday, Nov. 9): Falcons vs. Colts at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany (9:30 a.m. ET)
• Week 11 (Sunday, Nov. 16): Commanders vs. Dolphins in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain (9:30 a.m. ET)

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