There will be two NFL games in the regular season in Germany this year. This decision speaks for the development of American football in Germany – and is the deserved reward for the German fans who have made this boom possible. A commentary.

Now it’s official: The NFL will play two games of its regular season on German soil this year 2023. The two home teams: the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots.

The decision not only makes sense logistically, it is also a well-deserved reward for German football fans.

They not only turned the Allianz Arena into a football madhouse last year for the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks, which had US pundits and superstar Tom Brady alike raving. The boom is much more massive.

Germany becomes the football pioneer in Europe

The success of the European League of Football is another testament to the sport’s growing visibility and popularity in this country. A football league founded and run from Germany. We are not just a football country, but more and more football pioneers in Europe.

The NFL has also registered this development favourably. The second game in 2023 is both a reward for this and a vote of confidence.

There would have been plenty of reasons to hold the cancelled Mexico Game at another venue. Other European countries have been courting the favour of the world’s most economically successful sports league for years. Especially since several NFL players had complained about the turf in Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Munich Game leaves impression on NFL

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the 32 team owners still decided to play a second Germany game. The images of the singing crowds of fans in Munich, the packed Audi Dome at the public viewing – this enthusiasm was tangible and contagious. Even the NFL officials were gripped by German football fever.

That’s thanks to you fans – and that’s your well-deserved reward!