The NFL is returning to Germany in 2023 as planned. After the successful debut in Munich last year, even twice. The teams for the games in Germany and London have also already been announced.

The NFL fans in Germany can be doubly happy: The best football league in the world will return in 2023 – and not just for one, but for two regular season games. This was announced by the NFL in the course of the announcement of the International Games Series on Thursday.

In addition, the two teams that will play a home game in Germany have already been determined: the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots. The opponents of the former Super Bowl winners will be announced at a later date.

Why will two regular season games be played in Germany in 2023? Due to renovations for the 2026 World Cup, the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will not be available for the NFL International Games for the 2023 season. Therefore, Germany will step in for Mexico.

NFL games in Germany: venue and timing

When the two NFL games in Germany will take place in 2023, and whether one city will host both games or whether Frankfurt and Munich will each get a turn, has not yet been decided and will also be announced later in the year.

What is clear is that Frankfurt and Munich are already set as the two venues for Games in the years between 2022 and 2025.

In Munich, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks made history on 13 November 2022 with the first NFL game in Germany. 75,000 fans in Munich’s Allianz Arena watched Tom Brady and Co. win 21:16, creating a very special atmosphere that also impressed the quarterback superstar.

“That was one of the greatest football experiences I’ve ever had. For being in the league for 23 years, that says a lot. The fans were incredible,” said Brady, who stressed he was “electrified” by the atmosphere at the Munich Game from the start.

“At the end of the game, when they were singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Country Roads’, it was pretty epochal. I think everyone who was there experienced something really special,” Brady said.

London Games: three teams already confirmed

There will also be NFL games in another European city – London has been the venue since 2007. Back then, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants were the first teams with an official league game in England

In 2023, there will again be three games in London – and three franchises have already been confirmed: the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars have played a game in London every year since 2013.

The Bills and the Titans have also been guests in London before. The Bills last lost to the Jaguars 31-34 in 2015, while the Titans lost 19-20 to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018.

NFL games in Germany – NFL growth strategy

Hosting regular season games is part of the NFL’s growth strategy in Germany, which also includes a permanent office, grassroots programmes and social projects.

The selection process for NFL games in Germany began in 2021 with initial expressions of interest from nine cities, after which Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich were invited to participate in an intensive application process. Frankfurt and Munich prevailed in this process.

In addition to the games, the partnerships between the NFL and Munich and Frankfurt also include joint fan activities, community participation programmes and other NFL initiatives.

In December 2021, the NFL announced that four NFL teams – the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – were granted access to the German market for marketing, fan engagement and commercialisation as part of their International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA). The Buccaneers were allowed to host the first game, now followed by the Chiefs and the Patriots.