Roger Goodell Says Super Bowl in London 'Difficult' Without a Franchise

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday that playing a Super Bowl in London would be "difficult" unless the league establishes a full-time franchise in the English capital.

Nick Shook of NFL.com provided comments Goodell made about the potential for an overseas championship game during an appearance on the NFL Network's Good Morning Football Weekend.

"That's been talked about a lot," he said. "But the ownership really feels strongly that that's a reward for our fans. I think if you had a franchise here, I think it would come into play. I think without a franchise it's probably difficult."

Goodell was noncommittal about a possible timeline for a London team, though. He affirmed the NFL believes the fanbase is strong enough to support a franchise, but added he's "not comfortable" with how the travel across the Atlantic Ocean might impact competitive balance, per Shook:

"Where it's most challenging in my view is in the playoffs, because you can't really plan for that. So we could probably work the schedule in a fair way during the season, but when you get to the postseason it could be unfair to a team—if Seattle had to come over here for a playoff game—that's a tough one. So we've got to find an answer to that. But other than that, I'm perfectly comfortable with this market and the size and passion for football. We wouldn't have a problem."

In September 2017, NFL executive vice president of international Mark Waller told Albert Breer of The MMQB he believes 2022 is a "realistic timeframe" for a team in London.

"Absolutely," he said. "And that aligns well from a CBA and union standpoint—that would need to be part of a union agreement. Not to say we couldn't bargain it separately, but obviously if we're doing it around that time, that would make sense. And from a media/broadcast standpoint, we'd need to think it through."

Meanwhile, the league has continued to play multiple contests in London every year. This year's three-game slate wraps up Sunday when the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles battle the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.