The 2025 NFL season kicks off in just three days, and this year’s schedule has an interesting quirk to it. The NFL International series is really ramping up now. And it gets started early, with the game in Brazil coming up on Friday night already. Maybe you’ve seen the Keyboard Cat promos? We covered that here.
London will have three games, in two different venues (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium).
2025 NFL International Series
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers, São Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 5 8 p.m. ET
Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Dublin, Ireland, Sunday, Sept. 28, 9:30 a.m. ET
Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns, London, England, Sunday, Oct. 5, 9:30 a.m. ET
Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets, London, England, Sunday, Oct. 12, 9:30 a.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, London, England, Sunday, Oct. 19, 9:30 a.m. ET,
Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts, Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 9, 9:30 a.m. ET
Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins, Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 16, 9:30 a.m. ET
Germany and Spain will host regular season National Football League action for the first time ever.
You even have team playing back-to-back games overseas, for the first time ever, as the Minnesota Vikings will be going global in consecutive weeks this October.
The NFL is expanding into multiple markets, but the initiative started in the mother country, at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.
It’s a very well known fact that when the Premier League was first formed in England, in 1992, the leaders of that initiative borrowed a lot of different qualities and practices from the National Football League.
“Monday Night Football,” but this time for English soccer, is one of the most obvious.
The NFL-EPL ties run deep, with one direct connection being Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The state of the art venue replaced Wembley as the NFL’s home in the British capital. It now hosts more NFL games than any other venue not on American soil.
There is even talk of a future Super Bowl potentially being staged there.
Manchester United and England National Team legend Wes Brown went on tour to the U.S. with his former club this summer.
He was astounded by the quality of the NFL venues in America, and noted that EPL grounds cannot match them; except one.
“I mean, listen, the stadiums are unbelievable,” Brown said in an interview with RG. “If you’re talking about sort of future (oriented) stadiums (that currently exist in England), it’s probably only Tottenham Hotspur’s, maybe.
“Some of the ones I’ve been to here in the US are incredible.
“That’s the sort of standard you want to be at. You know, time to move on (into the future).”
Brown is right- THS is on a level all its own. And that’s indicative of the NFL’s elite branding power and phenomenal global reach. With the expansion of NFL international this season, it’s only going to get bigger and bigger.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter