Latest NFL Rumors Reveal List of New Potential Cities for International Game amid Expansion Buzz

The NFL scheduled a record nine international games for the 2026 season, and the league is reportedly exploring even more locations with an eye on the future.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported 2028 is a "potential date" for the NFL to schedule a game in Tokyo.

"As for other new frontiers, some teams love the idea of going to Italy next, but that may not happen until new stadiums open in Milan (2030) and Rome (2031), ahead of the 2032 Euros," he wrote. "Then there's the idea the NFL's Peter O'Reilly raised of playing in new cities in countries the league's already been to, like potentially Manchester in the U.K., Barcelona (which has a stadium under renovation) in Spain, or Sydney in Australia."

This year's international games were scheduled for Melbourne (Australia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), London (U.K.), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Munich (Germany) and Mexico City (Mexico).

The 2026 schedule started with a game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Australia and will continue Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints in Paris.

▶️ 49ers-Rams Full Game Recap

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Los Angeles' travel plans to Australia generated plenty of attention, as the team arrived shortly before the game and proceeded to lose to the 49ers. Other travel quirks have included the Jacksonville Jaguars playing back-to-back games in London, which they split with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles and loss to the Houston Texans.

It doesn't seem like the NFL is slowing down anytime soon when it comes to playing international games, which will mean more chances for fans in more countries to see teams in person.

Coming into the 2026 campaign, there had been 62 regular-season games played outside of the United States.

And that number will continue growing in the future.