Caleb Harris
O NFL the international presence has been expanding in recent years and that expansion could soon include placing a game in Australia.
Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s head of international affairs, revealed at the Spring League Meeting on Tuesday that Australia is being considered to host a future game. O’Reilly’s comments came less than 24 hours ago after 9News in MelbourneAustralia reported that the NFL would likely move at least one regular-season game Down Under in 2025 or 2026. O’Reilly mentioned that 2025 It’s definitely a possibility.
It’s still not entirely clear where the game will be held, but 9News reported that a stadium in Melbourne – the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) – has been already had initial discussions with the NFL.
Before the NFL makes an official decision, the league needs to figure out the travel logistics of the two teams that would be involved.
“When you start talking about Asia, the Pacific and Australia, you talk about distance and logistics and the football component of that,” said O’Reilly, via AP. “So these factors are real.”
Although the logistics were complicated, it would not be impossible. There is a 14-hour time difference between Melbourne/Sydney and the US Eastern Time Zone, which isn’t ideal, but the NFL could certainly work around that. If the game started at noon on Monday in Melbourne, it would be 9pm ET on Sunday night in the United States.
The NFL could also place the game in Week 1 and play it on Friday afternoon or Saturday afternoon in Australia, which would put it on Thursday night or Friday night in the United States. If the league went this route, both teams involved would have plenty of time to travel back and readjust to their time in the US.
If the NFL decided to put the game after Week 1, both teams playing would likely need a bye after playing Down Under. Either way, it would almost certainly start in the afternoon in Australia so it could be shown in prime time in the US.
If a game is moved to Australia, it appears the Los Angeles Rams would be in charge to serve as the home team, which makes sense because they are currently one of two teams – along with the Eagles -. which have international marketing rights for the country. As part of the NFL’s global marketing program, the Rams were received Australian rights in December 2021 and they have those rights guaranteed until January 1, 2027, so it makes sense that the team would want to play Down Under.
To go back in February 2022Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said he would love to see the team play in Australia.
“I would love to play a game there at some point; whether it’s an exhibition game, or a training camp, or if the NFL decides to put a (regular season) game there, I think we would be the first. raise your hand and try to do it,” Demoff said.
This is not the first time that the NFL has considered holding a game in Australia. In 2016, the league I briefly considered putting the 2017 Pro Bowl in Sydney. Additionally, the NFL played a preseason game in Australia in 1999, with the Broncos defeating the Chargers 20-17 in Sydney.
The NFL is also preparing to open an international academy in Australia. As part of the league’s International Player Pathway program, the NFL has had an academy in England since 2019, and there will soon be two academies following the the second opens on Australia’s Gold Coast In September.
The NFL’s international series has been expanding at a breakneck pace in recent years. From 2007 to 2021, the NFL held games in London, Mexico City and Toronto. The NFL has already doubled that international total since 2022, adding games in Germany (Frankfurt and Munich), Brazil (São Paulo) and Spain (Madrid). The game in Brazil will take place in September with the Eagles hosting the Packers while the game in Madrid will be played in 2025.
As international expansion continues, don’t expect it to slow down, and that’s because the NFL is expected to have up to nine international games starting in the 2025 season. Thank you to a rule that owners approved in Decemberall teams will be required to host an international game at least once every four years.
