More NFL games could be on the way, both in the United States and abroad.
In an interview on Tuesday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he's confident the NFL will eventually expand to an 18-game regular-season schedule and have every team play one international contest each season.
“I want to tell you guys, we’re going to push like the Dickens now to make international more important with us,” Kraft said during an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Every team will go to 18 (regular-season games) and two (pre-season games) and eliminate one of the pre-season games. Every team, every year, will play one game overseas."
The idea Kraft shared on Tuesday isn't exactly new, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has previously stated he's in favour of expanding the regular season by another game.
An 18-game season is expected to be a major discussion point in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement runs through the 2030 season.
The league persuaded the union to allow a 17th game in the last round of CBA discussions, and the schedule was expanded in 2021.
“Part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labour happy, because we’re sort of getting near the top here,” Kraft said Tuesday. “… 93 of the top 100 programs on television are NFL games, think about that. It’s really amazing. And you look at the size of our crowds versus the other sports.
“As long as we can keep growing revenue, we can keep long-term labour peace."
Part of that increased revenue has come from a bigger international presence.
This season, the league held a record seven games overseas. In 2026, Goodell hopes to have as many as nine.
The 2025 international slate included returns to São Paulo, Brazil and London, as well as first-time appearances in Madrid, Dublin and Berlin.
