Any UK-based NFL follower has likely put pen to paper on this question by now: with the league putting more regular-season action on foreign soil, where are we headed for our international series fix?
You can call it a done deal. The owners have given their blessing for as many as 10 international regular-season games after 2026. And if you look at the 2026 schedule, there is a record nine of them spread over four continents and seven countries, per NFL.com and NFL Football Operations. That is all the confirmation we need that this is no longer a side project — it is a fixed item on the NFL calendar.
It changes how we plan ahead, too. We are not talking about the odd weekend away. We are talking about proper American football holidays in brand-new host cities, with gameday experiences you simply do not get every day.
From experiment to established host city
The international map has been redrawn in the last few years. For 2026, the league has put down markers in London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne, Mexico City, Madrid and Munich. London will see three of the nine games that season alone.
That gives us a solid foundation for what comes in 2028 and 2029. Germany and London are here to stay, and so are Spain and France. Brazil and Australia have moved well beyond the concept stage — they’re genuine regular-season hosts now, and that is exciting. For fans who love to travel, that flexibility is a real gift. It means you can put together a bespoke itinerary that actually works around your life, rather than squeezing everything into a tiny window.
Is Dublin in the running post-2026?
It’s hard to think of a more natural candidate for a near-term return than Dublin.
Peter McKenna, the stadium director at Croke Park, told the Irish Times he has no doubt the NFL will be back in Ireland in 2027 and for good measure over the coming decade. (Paris was chosen for 2026, so there will be no game in Ireland then.)
It’s not a guarantee, but the signals from the host side are genuinely encouraging. For UK supporters, it doesn’t get much better in terms of accessibility and demand: a short hop across the water to a city that turns the whole weekend into something of a festival.
Japan, UAE or New Zealand?
Here is where things become a matter of degree, as not every market is equally within reach.
The case for Japan
If you’re looking for the most realistic new-market prospect, Tokyo has the public momentum to back it up. According to Reuters, NFL brass have put Japan on their radar as they look to broaden the league’s international reach. Put that alongside a record nine-game season and the green light for 10 more after 2026, and Japan is no longer a wild card — it’s simply a question of when.
Should Tokyo make the schedule, we’d expect a huge amount of interest from fans making the trip. It’s the kind of destination where you turn an American football holiday into a proper city break, and in those cases, getting your plans in early really does matter.
The UAE: a live but unconfirmed option
Is a regular-season fixture in Dubai or Abu Dhabi on the way? Maybe. Reuters has the NFL looking into a game there with no shortage of interest, yet there is no set date to speak of. That’s the key distinction: the curiosity is genuine, but this is still in the exploratory phase. It’s one to watch, not to book flights for just yet.
New Zealand fits the Asia-Pacific profile, but nothing is set in stone
Fans are quick to bring up New Zealand in the same breath as Australia, and it’s easy to see why. With Melbourne part of the 2026 international slate, the NFL has shown it wants to put down deeper roots in the region, as NFL Football Operations would have it.
Still, logic isn’t the same as confirmation. None of the verified reports put forward a plan for a New Zealand game at this time. It’s a sensible strategic move, certainly — but not one that’s been declared.
A realistic view of the 2028 and 2029 calendar
We don’t know every detail yet, but what’s already on the table gives us plenty to work with.
NFL.com and the AP NEWS have it that owners have given the go-ahead for as many as 10 games past 2026. Given the league has already proven it can put on nine across different continents, a likely scenario for the coming years involves:
- Repeat business from stalwarts like London and Germany, along with continental anchors in Spain and France.
- Ongoing play in the Americas and Asia-Pacific where the NFL is active (Mexico, Brazil, Australia).
- An opening or two for new markets, with Japan and the UAE being the most talked about in recent reporting.
There’s no need to manufacture drama around it — this is simply where the International Series is headed, and it’s grown from a special occasion into a proper part of the season. For UK fans especially, that is genuinely exciting news. More dates and more cities mean more chances to see your team overseas, or tick a destination off the list. The only thing left to wonder is which city will be first to hear the roar at kickoff.
