Is NFL pushing boundaries on international games? Australia trip could test limits of global growth

By KEN MAGUIRE

LONDON (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams landed in London just 30 hours before kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars in October.

That won’t fly when they play in Australia next season.

The Melbourne game is part of a multiyear commitment and represents a new frontier for the NFL’s aggressive international plan. The league has never staged a regular-season game so far from home, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has already said Asia will follow “shortly thereafter.”

Goodell hopes to eventually stage 16 games per season internationally — an escalation that could be facilitated if the league moves to an 18-game NFL season. The current maximum number of international games allowed per season is 10 under the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, the league announced Paris as a new host as well as a return to Madrid and Mexico City for next season. As of Monday, there are a record-high nine international games scheduled for 2026. But not everyone is as enthusiastic as Goodell about the league’s global ambitions. There are questions about scheduling, the risks to players as the air miles add up, and the quality of play.

“The voice of the players and what’s in their best interests come from our membership, not management,” NFLPA media relations director Brandon Parker told The Associated Press. ”That’s why it’s imperative for the union to be a partner in assessing and making decisions on all aspects of the international player experience.

“Any sort of expansion must be balanced against how it impacts players’ bodies along with health and safety data.”

An 18-game schedule likely would include adding a second bye week and reducing the number of preseason games to two — all of which would need to be agreed on between the league and the NFLPA. The current labor deal runs through the 2030 season.