As American football continues to grow in popularity worldwide, the National Football League is considering holding a future Super Bowl in London.
Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the possibility while speaking at a fan forum that preceded NFL games in London last week.
“It is not impossible, and it is something that has been discussed before,” Goodell told fans, according to ESPN.
While there are no immediate plans in place to host the league’s popular championship game overseas, Goodell explained that the economic impact the game has had on U.S. host cities has been significant. As such, he said he considers it only inevitable that cities abroad eye the opportunity as the league continues to grow its fanbase through its international series.
“I think being able to play it in one of our cities — it’s [had] a huge economic boost to those cities,” Goodell added. “Our fans live in those cities also. I think that is important. Not that we do not have great fans here [in London], we do. So as the international series develops, maybe that is a possibility as we play more games here.”
The NFL began playing international regular season games in 2005, starting with the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. The game followed the conclusion of the American Bowl, which was a preseason game played in several cities overseas for 20 years.
The NFL’s International Series officially launched in 2007, featuring one regular season game per year at London’s Wembley Stadium. Although the schedule is on a rotation, the Jacksonville Jaguars have often been featured as the home team in the series, which has grown to include at least four games outside the United States each season.
The league has five international games on this season’s schedule — three in London, which have been played over the last three weeks, and two in Frankfurt, Germany, in November.
London has now hosted 38 NFL regular season games and is often considered a league expansion candidate. Munich has also hosted a game.
The earliest the Super Bowl could be played in London would be 2027, as the sites for the next three championships (Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Santa Clara) have already been announced.
If a Super Bowl does get held in London, the NFL will become the first U.S.-based league to hold its championship game overseas.
