By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – The NFL is hoping its international slate of games this season act as “mini Super Bowls” for fans outside the U.S. as the league continues to expand its overseas footprint, a league official said.
After playing a sold-out game in Sao Paulo last month in its first foray into South America, the league returns to London on Sunday where Aaron Rodgers and the Jets take on Sam Darnold and the undefeated Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In addition to beefed up pre-game and halftime shows, clubs are engaging with fans through pub takeovers and flag football events in the English capital, NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly told Reuters.
“For us it’s really about creating mini Super Bowls,” O’Reilly said of the league’s championship game.
“We’re thinking through everything we do surrounding the game — the exterior of the stadium, creating big pre-game moments like the playing of the national anthems of the two countries and having sizable halftime performances.”
Sunday’s game will be the 37th NFL game played in London and will honour London-born, two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora and five-time Pro Bowler Jared Allen.
“To me, it never gets old because there’s just such energy around these games,” O’Reilly said.
Despite security concerns leading up to the game and a slick playing surface, the contest at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena between the Eagles and Packers in September was a success and O’Reilly said the NFL hopes to make it a regular stop on the schedule.
“It’s too soon to announce anything in terms of a return but based on the response to this game, we’ll be back there,” he said.
The moving rendition of the Brazilian national anthem by Luisa Sonza and a high-energy halftime performance by pop star Anitta were both worthy of the “Big Game” in a country the league says is home to 36 million NFL fans.
After Sunday’s Jets-Vikings game, the Bears will play the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13 before the action shifts to Wembley Stadium, where the Jaguars will take on the Patriots on Oct. 20.
The Panthers face the Giants in Munich, Germany at Allianz arena on Nov. 10.
The NFL is poised to ramp up its international presence further in 2025 with its first ever regular season game in Spain at soccer side Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
(This story has been corrected to remove the reference that rapper Aitch will perform at halftime, in paragraph 6)
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)
