Roger Goodell: Berlin Eyed for Future Germany Game; NFL Europe Team Still Not Planned

The NFL may soon expand its reach in Germany as part of its annual International Series.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Saturday that Düsseldorf and Berlin have both shown "a lot of interest," so either city could potentially host a game down the road.

"We have every intention to continue to play here," he said of Germany more broadly. "You've been an incredible part of our growth. You've been part of our history of growing our game globally. We're going to continue to play here in some fashion.

Goodell did, however, continue to rule out placing a franchise in Europe. He said the NFL's focus is on widening the International Series.

The NFL announced last fall it intended to stage a minimum of four games in Germany potentially through 2025. Munich and Frankfurt would split the hosting duties.

The league once maintained a fairly sizable presence in Germany through its NFL Europe subsidiary across the 1990s and into the early 2000s. Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Düsseldorf all maintained a team for varying spells.

Goodell has said he wants the NFL to generate $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027, and expanding the league's presence in foreign markets is clearly part of the plan to achieve that goal.

The strategy goes well beyond simply putting regular-season games abroad, too.

CNBC's Jabari Young reported in April 2022 how officials were pushing for flag football to join the Summer Olympics program because it could help draw more fans and players to the sport. Those efforts paid off in October, with flag football being added to the 2028 Summer Games.

When it comes to Germany, it certainly looks as though there's an appetite for more NFL games. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers drew 69,811 fans to Munich's Allianz Arena in 2022, and Sunday's matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs figures to have a raucous atmosphere.