Roger Goodell teases first international Super Bowl

The NFL’s push to play international games could include a plan for a Super Bowl soon enough.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, who formally opposed the idea, teased the possibility of the league’s first Super Bowl outside the US before a fan forum in London on Saturday.

“We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city — that was always kind of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises,” he said when answering a question about moving the game to neutral sites. “But things are changing. It wouldn’t surprise me if that ever happens.”

The plan could go into effect as early as 2028, as Super Bowl venues are fully booked until then.

This season’s big game will be played in New Orleans, followed by Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in 2026, and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in 2027.

Before the 2024 season, there were 50 international regular-season games in the league’s history.

London was the most popular with 36 matches, followed by Toronto (6), Mexico City (5), Munich (2) and Frankfurt (1).

This season, the Eagles and Packers opened with an international match in Brazil on September 6, where Philadelphia came away with a 34-29 victory.

It was the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in South America and attracted more than 45,000 fans in São Paulo.

Including Brazil, five international matches will be played in the 2024 season.

In Week 5, the Jets lost to the Vikings in London 23-17, which ended up being the final Jets game under Robert Saleh, who has been replaced by interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich.

London will also host the Bears and Jaguars in Week 6, along with the Patriots and Jaguars in Week 7. The final international game of the season will take place in Munich between the Giants and Panthers in Week 10.

If the NFL regular season expands to 18 games, Goodell said he outlined a plan that could include playing 16 international games per year.

He said there is “no doubt” that Ireland will ultimately be as good at hosting a match as Rio de Janeiro is as a host city.