The NFL returns to London for the second time this year as it continues its 14th season playing games overseas. In total, the league is sending four games to Europe, three in London and one in Munich, Germany, and that is by design.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said he hopes to expand the league into Europe in the future, eyeing potentially four European expansion teams for a Europe-only division.
“There is no question London could support, not just one franchise, [but] I think two franchises,” he said. “We’re trying to sort of see, could you have multiple locations in Europe where you could have an NFL franchise? Because it would be easier as a division.”
The NFL hasn’t added an expansion franchise since the Texans joined the league in 2002, and because of the math of having four teams in every division, are unlikely to add just one new franchise. Therefore, it makes sense that the NFL would want to add multiple franchises during its next wave of expansion.
If the league does add European franchises, having them in the same division would make the most sense logistically. That way, each new team would only have to fly overseas for five or six games a year instead of eight or nine.
If European expansion is in the league’s future, it is still probably a long way away, as adding four new teams is a major challenge no matter where they are located. But it is clear that the league is planting the seeds for an ambitious expansion.
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