NFL Fans Aren’t Ready For What Roger Goodell Says Is Coming

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

It is no secret that Roger Goodell wants to expand the NFL as much as possible.

The NFL’s international expansion strategy focuses on growing the game through regular-season games. Regular-season games are hosted in cities such as London, Munich, Madrid, Paris, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro.

It seems to expand every year. Now, it appears that Goodell and the NFL really want a team to permanently play outside of the United States.

Massive Global Vision From Roger Goodell

Last month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was reported to be targeting Japan as a venue for a future regular-season game. As part of a “list of 10” priority international markets, this initiative follows a record-high slate of nine international games scheduled across four continents.

This week, Goodell recently stated that he holds absolutely no doubt about teams operating outside the United States.

“At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA. I have no doubt that this will happen one day,” Goodell told former NFL player Markus Kuhn in an interview for German broadcaster RTL/ntv.

Goodell further added that the foreign country with the NFL team would host a Super Bowl.

“There are definitely international cities that could host something like that,” Goodell said of the Super Bowl. “But we would like to see an NFL team in such a city first.”

Roger Goodell explained that international interest continues to expand at a steady pace. Meanwhile, regular-season contests already take place in multiple countries each year. As a result, the foundation for further steps appears well established according to his view.

How Soon Could This Happen?

The NFL does not have an official timetable for placing a permanent franchise overseas. However, Commissioner Roger Goodell explicitly stated that doing so is an ultimate, “inevitable” certainty.

While a specific year has not been set, the league’s current aggressive expansion strategy outlines a clear roadmap for how and when an international team could become a reality. An expansion or relocation requires complex logistics, labor negotiations, and structural changes.

Many estimate the earliest realistic window for a permanent overseas team is between 2030 and 2035.