Roger Goodell Eyes 18-Game NFL Schedule, 16 International Games 'Within 5 Years'

After expanding the NFL season from 16 games to 17 games in 2021, Roger Goodell is hoping to have more games in the near future.

Goodell said that "within five years," he'd like the league to be playing 16 international games every season and acknowledged that more international games would likely require an expanded schedule.

"We could be doing more regular season than preseason, so we're looking at a change from the 17-and-three format to maybe 18 regular season games and two preseason games," Goodell said, per Sports Business Journal's Ben Fischer. "And that will open up more inventory to allow us to play more globally."

The NFL played five international games in 2024: one in Brazil, three in London and one in Germany. The matchup between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers in Munich last week was the last international game this season.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted that the NFL could play 16 international games with its current 17-game schedule. Each team could play eight games at home and eight on the road per usual along with one neutral-site game, which would in theory be played internationally.

Getting to an 18-game schedule within the next five years might be a difficult process for Goodell. Fischer noted that the NFL and NFLPA's Collective Bargaining Agreement agreement doesn't expire until after the 2030 season, meaning Goodell would have to negotiate before the usual bargaining schedule.

In June, Lloyd Howell, the executive director of the NFLPA, "left open the possibility that an 18-game season could go into effect, if players are in favor of it" and the union gets what it wants in negotiations, per the Washington Post's Mark Maske.

According to Fischer, the union declined to comment Thursday about the possibility of a longer season.

Expanding the NFL season within the next five years would be beneficial to the league in terms of television deals, as the current broadcast contracts end after the 2029 season. More games would likely lead to higher bids from networks looking to get the rights to air the NFL.