NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated his goal of holding a regular-season game in Tokyo and said it could happen in 2027 or 2028. "Listen, Tokyo is clearly on our list, whether it's next year or the year after," Goodell told "NFL Daily" on Friday. "It's coming at some point in the near future."
The comment sets a possible timeline for the league to play in a city Goodell has previously targeted. In July at Fanatics Fest, he said he hoped to bring a regular-season game to Tokyo. He added that the success and lessons learned from the San Francisco 49ers-Los Angeles Rams game in Melbourne, Australia, in Week 1 could help make a Japan game happen.
"On a Friday morning at 10:30, to have 100,000 people in the stadium, it was just an incredible feeling for us. I think it's opened up new opportunities for us," Goodell said. He also said the travel is something the league believes it can manage without negatively affecting teams.
The collective bargaining agreement allows the NFL to hold up to 10 international games per season. The league is playing nine this year, including Sunday's first-ever regular-season game in Paris between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints. Executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said the increase to 10 was under consideration for 2027, and that Asia is among the "new regions" being examined. The NFL last played a preseason game in Japan in 2005, when the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts met.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing