The National Football League (NFL) has confirmed that the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars will play in London this year.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host the Jets and the Brows, while the Jaguars will return to Wembley Stadium. The Florida team are a staple of the London games, having competed in 14 different fixtures in the UK capital between 2013 and 2024.
Meanwhile, the Jets and Browns have appeared three times and once, respectively. The announcement marks the beginning of an active international schedule for the NFL, which is targeting a more visible presence in overseas markets.
The UK has been an NFL target market for some time, with London being the longest running host city of international games since 2007 – nine years before Mexico hosted a game in 2016 and 15 years before Germany hosted one in 2022.
NFL UK and Ireland General Manager, Henry Hodgson, said. “This season will see us surpass 40 regular season games in the capital, a testament to the role the UK has played in growing the game globally.
“We look forward to welcoming the Jets, Browns and Jaguars to London as part of the 2025 NFL International Games. The London games are a continued catalyst for year-round fan engagement and we are focused on serving our 15 million fans, reaching new communities and driving growth in flag football participation, which now sees over 100,000 young people play the game.”
Though the UK has been hosting NFL international games nearly every year since 2007, the prospect of a franchise launching in the country remains the subject of conversation only, with no concrete plans yet.
Regardless, the country is still a target market for several major NFL clubs. Both the Jets and Jaguars hold UK marketing rights as part of the NFL Global Markets Programme, an initiative for clubs to build brand awareness and fan engagement overseas.
Shad Khan, owner of the Jaguars, stated: “We are once again delighted that we will be back in London later this year for our 14th game in the capital and are grateful for our extended partnership with the Football Association that makes it possible to play another home game at Wembley Stadium, one of the world’s most iconic stadiums and the Jaguars’ home away from home.
“The game is the pinnacle of the amazing work we do every day at a grassroots level and I’m proud that our JagTag flag football programme reached over 100,000 young people in 2024, helping to grow the sport of American football outside the US.”
This does not mean that British viewers are the only international fans NFL sides are hoping to court. A game is scheduled at Real Madrid’s Bernabau Stadium in Spain and the Olympic Stadium in the German capital of Berlin (one each) will both host a game this year.
Last year also saw a fixture in Brazil. Though this will not be repeated in 2025, it is likely to occur again in the future due to the NFL’s strong following in Latin America’s largest nation and the value of its local sporting sector.
