Potential future of NFL: International expansion, UFL merger and new playoff structure
By Cam Garrity
The NFL has recently been hinting at international expansion, with games held across the pond in Germany, London and even in another hemisphere in Brazil.
For other major sports leagues, like the NHL, NBA and MLB, going international has been a key part of their global growth strategies. However, the NFL still hasn’t ventured outside of the United States with an official team, despite them being no stranger to the idea.
This article will explore what an international expansion could look like, as well as division realignment, playoff restructuring and a potential merger with the United Football League (UFL).
The logistics and possibilities of an international expansion
Logistically, expanding to international locations requires careful consideration of several factors: attracting and retaining talent, ensuring fair logistics for all teams and standardizing the league for international travel and competition. We’ll look at four potential expansion teams: London, Munich, Madrid and Dublin.
These four cities were selected over other locations, such as Canada and Mexico, to maintain a manageable travel schedule, but they also provide some good competition and large markets attractive to the NFL. Setting the stage with these four teams makes it easier for them to go after teams in Mexico and more across Europe as the structure would be in place to experiment elsewhere. These teams give a good core of four fan bases eager for NFL football.
The proximity of London, Munich, Madrid and Dublin allows for more localized competition between each of them and builds natural rivalries while avoiding potential conflicts with existing leagues, like the Canadian Football League. I originally contemplated adding two Canadian teams, a Mexican team and an English team, but this setup minimizes travel distances and gives the NFL some more revenue opportunities to capitalize on.
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