There will be nine International games in 2026 and here’s what we know about each one
By John Breech
The NFL will be holding a total of nine international games in 2026 which is the most the league has ever held in a single-season.
During his annual press conference before the Super Bowl, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that the league’s eventual goal is to hold a total of 16 international games per year so that all 32 teams end up playing one game outside of the country each season.
“That’s an important mark to shoot for and I think we’re on our way.” Goodell said.
Although 16 is the target, we’re not quite there yet. For the upcoming season, there will be nine games and we’ll be tracking which teams are expected to play in those games. The 2026 slate will include three cities that will be hosting a game for the first time in Rio De Janeiro, Paris and Melbourne, Australia. The league will also be returning to both Mexico City and Munich, two cites that didn’t host a game last year, but have hosted in the past.
With nine international games, that means there will be 18 slots to fill, and the NFL has slowly been filling those slots over the past few weeks.
Here’s what we know about the international schedule so far:
- Melbourne — Rams vs. 49ers (Expected to be played in Week 1)
- Rio de Janeiro — Cowboys vs. TBA (Likely to be played in Week 3, per SBJ)
- Paris — Saints vs. TBA (Likely to be played in Week 7, per French media)
- Mexico City — 49ers vs. TBA (Will be played in Week 13 or 14)
- London — Jaguars vs. TBA (Played at Wembley Stadium)
- London — TBA vs. TBA (Played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
- London — TBA vs. TBA (Played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
- Munich — TBA vs. TBA
- Madrid — TBA vs. TBA
You may have noticed that the 49ers are on their twice and that’s because they’re set to become the first NFL team ever to play two international games in the same season that won’t be played in back-to-back weeks.
Although there are 12 spots still up in the air, we do know of at least three other teams that will be playing abroad this year.
- Commanders. Team president Mark Clouse revealed in November that Washington will be the home team for an international game in 2026. The Commanders, who played the Dolphins in the NFL’s first-ever Madrid game in 2025, will either be hosting in London, Munich or Madrid. Possible opponents: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, Texans, Colts, Bengals (It likely won’t be the Cowboys, Rams or Falcons since all three of those teams are already scheduled to play an international game).
- Falcons. The Falcons announced in December that they would be serving as the home team in an international game. The Falcons were the visiting team against the Colts for the NFL’s first game ever in Berlin last season. The Falcons will be hosting in either London, Munich or Madrid. Possible opponents: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, 49ers, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs (It likely won’t be the Lions, 49ers or Saints since all three of those teams are already scheduled to play an international game).
- Lions. The Lions will also be headed overseas to host an international game, according to the Detroit Free Press. The Lions haven’t played an international game since 2015, which is the second-longest drought in the NFL behind only the Cowboys, who haven’t been sent out of the country since 2014. However, that streak will be ending this year with both teams leaving the United States for a game. Possible opponents: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Titans (It likely won’t be the Saints since they’re already scheduled to play an international game).
That gives us nine confirmed teams for 18 international slots. There are also some international rumors swirling around, so let’s check those out.
International rumors
It’s not guaranteed that these teams will be playing abroad, but there are some rumors floating around, so let’s check them out.
- Giants. There was a report on Wednesday that the Giants will be playing an international game this year, so that will fill one more slot. It’s not clear if that’s a home game or an away game for New York. The Giants are scheduled to play the Commanders, Cowboys and Lions on the road, so they could certainly be the road team in an international game, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they end up being the home team.
- Browns. One French media outlet has reported that the the Browns will be facing the Saints in France. This is the outlet that originally broke the news of the Paris game back in January, so it’s certainly possible that the Browns could be headed to France, but you probably shouldn’t go booking any flights for this game until the NFL makes an official announcement.
The NFL’s international series started all the way back in 2007 with just one game in London, and now, nearly 20 years later, the league will be holding nine games that will be played all around the world. The NFL has truly turned into a global game.