Okay, before we dive into the ever-growing popularity of NFL outside of its native USA, we have to answer a question for all the non-US readers. Why is it called the National Football League?
Sure, the ball gets a few kicks, but it’s not like actual football in Europe where said ball is exclusively manipulated with the feet -save goalkeeping etc. NFL is far closer to the English game of Rugby, so why not call it US Rugby, or something more appropriate?
Well, both games came to the US from the UK: Rugby was originally known as ‘Rugby football’ but over time the ‘Rugby’ was dropped leaving just the ‘football’. As for Soccer, it was originally known as ‘association football,’ which newspapers nicknamed ‘assoc’, which was shorted to ‘soc’ and finally wound up as ‘soccer.’
Back to the matter in hand, up until October the 2nd 2005 all NFL games were played exclusively in the US. The first game outside of its founding country was in Mexico and it attracted a whopping 103,467 fans: the genie was out of the proverbial bottle.
So, what if you fancy grabbing a slice of the action outside of the US? Well, there are a few things you need to know in advance.
We’ll base this information on the recent games that took place in London, England this October. Following that, we’ll cast our nets a little wider and check out what we know about non-USA NFL in 2024.
London 2024
Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in London became the temporary home to the NFL on 1st, 8th and 15th October 2023. The games featured matches between The Ravens vs Titans, Jaguars vs Bills and Falcons vs Jaguars.
This is the 16th year that a regular season game has been played in London after the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins in 2007.
In case you don’t know the results, we’re not going to publish them here. Discover for yourselves and treat it as an incentive to get you into the action for London in 2024.
Speaking of which, we don’t know too much, save the Jaguars playing at Wembley once more and there will be two more games in Tottenham. What we know for sure is that NFL is incredibly popular in the UK, so take heed of the following if you want to experience the thrill of a live game.
Please note that the following advice (with obvious London-centric caveats) applies to every NFL game, anywhere in the world!
- Sign up for all the latest news and get alerts from at least the official NFL and a preferred UK sports site with a dedicated NFL channel. Not only will this keep you up to speed with the game as a whole, you’ll be able to grab tickets as soon as they come out!
- Don’t buy dodgy tickets to save a few bucks. Unless you know for a fact that the tickets are legit, always buy from official sites or partners.
- Check the location of your seats before committing to buy a ticket. Some only offer partial views.
- If you’re disabled, ensure you can get easy access to your seat. Check the facilities and ask the venue for advice on the best way to get around.
- It’s not just about getting tickets. You’ll be wanting somewhere to stay, so your second task is to find suitable accommodation ASAP!
- If you’re not based in London your next job is to book flights (if necessary) and figure out transport links to/from the airport and hotel/stadium. If you’ve not been to the UK capital, the city is enormous, but the transport links are great -so long as you’ve done your homework!
- Speaking of airports, only City Airport is actually in London. All the other London airports are, on average, an hour from the centre.
- Choose the airport closest to where you’re watching the game. Crossing London takes hours and the two stadiums in question are on the opposite side of the capital.
- Either way, be prepared to spend time travelling, so get a portable charger for your smartphone/tablet. Play Bally casino games online, bring a book and always have water and snacks with you.
Munich 2024
After the two games played on Nov 5th and 12th 2023 (Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots respectively) the NFL will return in 2024.
But they won’t be at the Frankfurt Stadium, this time they’ll be in Munich. For up-to-date information jump online and check the official statements from the NFL -after reading this, of course!
Brazil or Spain in 2024?
Arguably it’s the latter venue, but that could change. But it’s worth noting that the NFL don’t just have their eyes on Europe, the rest of the world is also hungry for some action too.
Watch this space.
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