Advertisement

What sports fans need to know about the latest NFL game announced in Germany

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
What sports fans need to know about the latest NFL game announced in Germany
American Football: Pro League NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Seattle Seahawks, at the Munich Allianz Arena in November 2022. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

The National Football League announced the matchups for its five European games - including a new one in Frankfurt - on Wednesday. Here's what to expect in the coming season.

Advertisement

In addition to three games in London, the NFL said it would play two games in Germany while dropping the game in Mexico City, which returned last year.

The NFL also announced the matchups for three big domestic games.

The league played its first regular-season game in Germany in Munich last November, when Tampa Bay and Seattle drew a crowd of almost 70,000.

The NFL has between two and three million supporters in Germany, estimated Sebastian Uhrich, a professor of sports management at the University of Cologne.

"In Germany obviously there's a significant fanbase of American football," he previously told The Local's Germany In Focus podcast, adding that it's the "largest market in Europe".

That could explain why star player Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Seattle Seahawks at Munich's Allianz Arena in November.

It marked the first NFL Game in Germany and tickets quickly sold out.

READ ALSO: 'Significant fanbase': How popular is the NFL in Germany?

What does the NFL have in store in Germany in 2023?

This year there will be two games in the Waldstadion in Frankfurt where defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs will be the 'designated home team' against Miami Dolphins on November 5th and New England will face Indianapolis a week later.

The Waldstadion was the home of the Frankfurt Galaxy, which appeared eight times in the 'World Bowl' played at the end of the World League of American Football and NFL Europe seasons between 1991 and 2007, winning four.

Advertisement

Uhrich sees the games as a big bonus for existing NFL fans in Germany.

"Playing games in Germany provides German consumers, supporters and fans an additional offering, besides all the media offerings," he said.

"Up until last year they were only able to watch NFL games on TV or on social media. If they wanted to see a game they had to travel to the US, so this is obviously a significant addition to what they can consume."

New 'Black Friday' games

Among the three domestic matchups announced on Wednesday were the inaugural 'Black Friday Game' when the Dolphins will visit the Jets on November 24th.

Amazon, which hold the rights to the Thursday night games, is moving one back a day to Black Friday, when retailers in the United States traditionally attempt to kick-start Christmas shopping with sales.

The New York Giants will visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day and Kansas City will host division rivals Cincinnati Bengals on New Year's Eve.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also