Roger Goodell’s dream of taking the NFL international has been taking shape slowly. London and Germany became the hotspots for the NFL last year, and now, the commissioner only plans to expand the league even further. The Kansas City Chiefs–Miami Dolphins game in Frankfurt generated record-breaking numbers and was the most-watched international game in the NFL’s history.

Andy Reid recognized Goodell’s effort to go international in his recent presser ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII. As the Chiefs coach, Reid was able to set foot in a foreign land to play the sport he’s always been associated with, he couldn’t be more thankful to the NFL commissioner.

Andy Reid hails Roger Goodell for making strides internationally

The press conference started with a reporter asking coach Andy about the current state of football in the world. He wanted to know Reid’s thoughts about the NFL becoming an international “behemoth.” Reid mentioned that when he entered the league, the broadcasting technology and analysis tools were way less perfect than now. This gives more of a push for the NFL to project itself to a massive audience.

He elaborated that despite the monetary gains for the fans, players, media, and everybody associated with the sport, the accessibility and new technologies have allowed him to be more “detailed” in his efforts.

This accessibility and people’s newfound understanding of the game have also forced coaches like Andy Reid to think outside the box and design better offensive and defensive plays. Per Reid, a lot of this credit goes to Commissioner Roger Goodell, and because of the NFL’s adaptability, the sport has been making waves internationally.

“It’s become not just a game in America, but a game throughout the world now. So, tribute to Roger Goodell for and all his efforts that he’s put forward to make this a progressive, uh, this game progressive and international,” said Reid of Goodell.

As the mega event is just around the corner, this year’s event might see a higher international viewership than last year’s (Chiefs vs. Eagles), estimated at 56 million.

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The NFL just keeps touching more cultures

The 2023 regular season saw five games played on foreign soil. One of the most notable was the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins game in Frankfurt, Germany, which garnered around 9.6 million views from an international audience alone. By 2025, the NFL plans to increase these games to eight. Last year’s Super Bowl received viewership from about 190 countries.

These countries included Australia, China, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, and even Spain. The NFL has more than 80+ broadcasting partners that telecast the game in 25+ languages. A US survey initiated by Nielsen, per the NFL, suggests that last year’s Super Bowl reached an audience of around 200 million with an average minute audience of approximately 136 million viewers just on TV.

Next year, the NFL expects to host several regular season games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Corinthians Arena. Currently, the NFL has the probation of hosting up to five regular season games outside of the US, which will go up to eight games in 2025. Teams like the Miami Dolphins already have ties with markets in Spain and Brazil. With services like DAZN already instrumental in the NFL’s international success, the league is expected to see even more audience this year, especially for a culturally significant event like the Super Bowl.

Hopefully, this year’s Super Bowl will surpass last year’s 56 million international viewership and break all AMA (average minute audience) records.

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