Maxxcash While we found out about the five host teams of the 2022 International Series back in February, we’ve had to wait until the beginning of May to find out their opponents. With the NFL returning to the UK and Mexico and hosting a game in Germany for the first time as they head to Munich, the anticipation is high. The announcement of the visiting teams, as well as the International Series dates, are set to be revealed on Good Morning Football on Wednesday, May 4.
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NFL International Series expands in 2022 to Munich, Mexico
We had heard rumblings about the NFL wanting to expand the International Series into Germany, and 2022 saw that become official. The process really began in 2021 when nine German cities were highlighted as potential hosts. The cities were narrowed down to Munich, Frankfurt, and Düsseldor before Munich and Frankfurt were awarded two games each.
The first game of the Germany series will be held at the Allianz Arena, the home of FC Bayern Munich. In 2021, we saw NFL teams granted “International Home Marketing Areas,” and four teams have Germany as one of their markets. One of those teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will have the honor of hosting the first NFL game to be hosted in Germany on Sunday, November 13.
The Arizona Cardinals will host the game in Mexico
Along with the first trip to Germany, the NFL will return to Mexico. The last time the NFL went to Mexico was in 2019, having played three regular-season games at the Estadio Azteca between 2016 and 2019. The previous International Series games in Mexico were hosted by the then Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. The Los Angeles Rams were also supposed to host a game, but poor field conditions saw the game moved back to Los Angeles.
The 2022 International Series game in Mexico will be hosted by the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, November 21. The Cardinals are one of nine teams to have international marketing rights in Mexico. The expectation is that those nine teams will take turns hosting games in Mexico over the next decade. The Cardinals previously hosted a regular-season game in Mexico back in 2005. However, that game was not considered part of the International Series and was instead branded as “Fútbol Americano” from a marketing perspective.
The NFL will return to the UK for three more games in 2022
The NFL has been building out its schedule over the last 15 years. Wembley Stadium, Twickenham Stadium, and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have all hosted games in that time. The 2019 season had seen the NFL play four regular-season games in London, with two at Wembley and two at Tottenham. However, the global pandemic meant that the 2020 International Series was canceled.
The NFL did manage to return to Tottenham in 2021 with two games on consecutive weekends. However, in 2022, the International Series will return to Wembley Stadium, with the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting their traditional game at the stadium. Jacksonville hosted a game in London in 2021 but did so at Tottenham.
The 2022 NFL International Series will then see two further games played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this coming season. The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers have been confirmed as the hosts of these two games. New Orleans has visited London on two previous occasions, with a perfect 2-0 record.
However, this season will be the first time that the Packers have played a game in London. This will then make it all 32 teams that have played a game in London since the series started in 2007.
Who could be the opponents for the NFL International Series?
Now we know which NFL teams will play home games in Mexico, Munich, and the UK. As a result, we can start to look at who might be the other five teams to play in the NFL International Series games. We already know who each of the five teams will host this season. Therefore, we have a list of potential “road teams” for all the NFL International Series games.
- Arizona Cardinals’ potential opponents
Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Green Bay Packers’ potential opponents
Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans - Jacksonville Jaguars’ potential opponents
Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans - New Orleans Saints’ potential opponents
Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ potential opponents
Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks
