Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park will host two NFL regular season games this year, while the Jacksonville Jaguars will become the first franchise to play two games outside of the US in a single season, as the National Football League today (Wednesday) confirmed the full line-up for its 2023 international fixtures.
The NFL has detailed the opponents, dates, and locations for the five games to be played across London and Frankfurt. The Jaguars will kick off the 2023 NFL International Games on October 1, as they play the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium, in what will be their landmark 10th regular season home game in the capital.
The London focus will then shift to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Buffalo Bills take on the Jaguars on October 8. Designated as the road team for the game, this fixture will be a historic first for the Jaguars and the NFL as part of their long-term commitment to the UK market.
The following Sunday, October 15, the Tennessee Titans will play the Baltimore Ravens, also at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, home of English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur and the only purpose-built NFL venue outside of the US, to wrap up the 2023 London Games.
As part of its commitment to play regular season games in Germany for the next four years, beginning with 2022’s debut fixture, the NFL will play two games in 2023 in Frankfurt, the League has confirmed.
Super Bowl LVII champion the Kansas City Chiefs kick off the 2023 Frankfurt Games on November 5, as they play the Miami Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park, home of Bundesliga football club Eintracht Frankfurt. The following weekend, November 12, the New England Patriots face the Indianapolis Colts to complete the 2023 International Games.
Germany’s move to two fixtures was first announced in January, as the NFL confirmed there would be no international game in Mexico this year. At that time, the Bills, Titans, Jaguars, Chiefs and Patriots were confirmed as the ‘home’ teams for 2023.
Munich’s Allianz Arena and Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park are set to alternate hosting rights until 2025 and it remained to be seen how the two games would be split this year. Germany will step in to host an extra game as Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca will be unavailable due to renovation work taking place ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Earlier this month, the NFL revealed that last year’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena had a total economic impact of €70.2m (£61m/$76.9m) on the German city. A crowd of 69,811 attended the fixture, which was the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Germany.
“The confirmed matchups in Germany will make for two very exciting games for fans this November and we are delighted to be playing both games in Frankfurt, a city rich in NFL history and with a significant NFL fan following,” Alexander Steinforth, general manager of NFL Germany, said today.
“The League extends our sincere thanks to our partners at the DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga/ Bundesliga), the City of Frankfurt and Eintracht Frankfurt in supporting these two games, and we are excited to see Frankfurt Stadium host such iconic teams in our sport in the Fall.”
Henry Hodgson, general manager of NFL UK, added: “To see the Jacksonville Jaguars extend their stay in the UK and play two regular season games here this year is indicative of the Jags’ commitment to continuing to grow their fanbase here long-term.
“We have staged games in London since 2007, with interest and momentum in the sport here in the UK rising year on year, and look forward to giving fans the best NFL experience yet in 2023.”
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