Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, announced this Wednesday that the league will take a game of the 2025 season to the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. The NFL intends to schedule up to eight regular-season games outside the United States. So far, two regular season games have been announced in London, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and one game in Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
“The first time we held a preseason game at Olympic Stadium was 34 years ago, before it was home to the NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder in the early 2000s. Now, with nearly 20 million fans in attendance NFL in Germany, we will make a historic return to the city with a regular season game for the first time,” said the commissioner.
The NFL played five games of the so-called ‘American Bowl’ at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin between 1990 and 1994, all preseason; This venue was also home to the Berlin Thunder, an NFL Europe team, between 2003 and 2007.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) runs away from Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98),AP Photo
The Senator for the Interior and Sports of the state of Berlin, Iris Spranger, said that the agreement signed with the NFL is for several years, although she did not specify how long.
“This long-term partnership with the NFL will continue to propel Berlin as a global sports metropolis, as well as excite the fans in the Olympic Stadium,” Spranger said before what will be the first regular season game in the German capital.
Berlin will be the third German city the NFL visits with regular season games. The first was Munich, which in 2022 hosted the duel in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 at the Allianz Arena.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (15) throws under pressure from Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley (0),AP Photo
In 2023, Frankfurt hosted two games at Deutsche Bank Park; The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14 and the Indianapolis Colts beat the New England Patriots 10-6.
This season the NFL returned to the Allianz Arena with the duel in which the New York Giants beat the Carolina Panthers 20-17 on November 10.
For the American continent, Goodell has said that they are looking to return to the Azteca stadium in Mexico City and play for the second consecutive year in Brazil.
