Roger Goodell teases surprising international stop after Australia as NFL eyes global expansion

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has suggested Asia as the next potential venue for an NFL international game. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash between Pittsburgh and Minnesota in Dublin, Ireland, Goodell restated his mission to make football a global sport.

The NFL has seven international games scheduled for this season. Kansas City and Los Angeles opened their season in Sao Paolo. With six more games across Europe this season, starting with Sunday’s game in Dublin, Roger Goodell said:

“I think our next step after Australia would be probably moving into Asia. That’s a continent we’d like to be playing in. We are serious about being a global sport. We would like to get to 16 games so everyone is playing one game a year internationally.”

The commissioner’s comment has stirred speculations about where in Asia could potentially host international NFL games. Suggested venues include Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

According to reports, a flag football tournament is set to take place in Saudi Arabia next year, with Tom Brady reportedly lined up. Other players expected to feature in the tournament include Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, and Christian McCaffrey.

Brady is reportedly partnering with Turki Alalshikh, who chairs the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, to promote the tournament.

Roger Goodell announces NFL’s expansion to Rio de Janeiro

Roger Goodell announced earlier this week the addition of Rio de Janeiro to the list of international NFL venues for next season. He said:

“Building on the success of the games in Sao Paulo, we could not be more excited to play in one of the world’s most iconic cities, Rio de Janeiro. We look forward to working closely with our city and state partners in Rio, along with the historic Maracanã Stadium, to deepen our ties to the tens of millions of fans in Brazil and across South America.”

Goodell has also floated the idea of starting a London NFL franchise during a conversation with CNBC’s Alex Sherman. The commissioner said:

“I would say that the markets outside the U.S. are very, very attractive. And we’ve got pretty good coverage here. There are markets that could certainly support a team. We’ve always focused on, what are the competitive consequences of that? Can we manage that? And so every year we try to learn something from the international series.”

The Steelers and Vikings will go head-to-head on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (ET).