The London Games installment of the NFL’s International Series returns in 2018 with a trio of regular season games. American football’s top pro league unveiled its U.K. plans for the upcoming season on January 10th.
The first scheduled contest will see the Seattle Seahawks square off against the Oakland Raiders on October 14th at Tottenham’s new White Hart Lane facility (or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, depending on the day and the status of naming rights).
The remainder of the NFL’s London residency is a pair of contests at Wembley Stadium on October 21st and 28th. The recent Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles will battle the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Tennessee Titans will clash against the Los Angeles Chargers.
At the time of this writing, the exact game schedule for Wembley is not yet fixed. Jacksonville vs. Philadelphia will occur on either October 21st or the 28th, and the Tennessee vs. Los Angeles contest will take place on the alternate date.
Oakland, Jacksonville, and Los Angeles were named the home teams for their respective matchups.
Being some of the most anticipated yearly events in international American football, the London Games are typically sold out affairs. The BBC and Sky Sports televise the games nationally, and NFL fans from around the world converge in the U.K.’s capital city to get in front of the gridiron. While it’s premature to consider favourites and lines on the 2018 London games, BetStars News will have the details as soon as they become available.
The 2018 London Games will give U.K. fans a chance to see top NFL talent like Russell Wilson (QB) and Richard Sherman (CB) of Seattle, Tennessee’s Marcus Mariotta (QB), and Philip Rivers (QB) of Los Angeles. Philadelphia QB wunderkind Carson Wentz, who sustained a 2017 season-ending torn ACL in Week 14, is expected to be back in playing form in time for the Wembley appearance.
The NFL’s staging of regular season games in London dates back to October 28, 2007 when the New York Giants bested the Miami Dolphins 13-10 in a slugout bout at Wembley. This contest also marked the first time a non-exhibition NFL game was held outside of North America.
From 2008 through 2012, only a single regular-season game was played each year in London. Due to the popularity of these matchups and the track record of brisk ticket sales, the NFL expanded the schedule to include two games in 2013, three games each year from 2014 through 2016, and four games last season. Twickenham Stadium joined Wembley as a hosting site in 2016.
The 2017 London Games saw the Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Baltimore Ravens 44-7 and the New Orleans Saints pummel the Miami Dolphins 20-0, both at Wembley. At Twickenham Stadium battles, the Los Angeles Rams eased over the Arizona Cardinals 33-0 while the Cleveland Browns suffered a 33-16 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.
This year’s slate was pulled back to three games to ensure that the new Tottenham stadium will be fully-ready to host.
Tickets to the NFL London Series are available now from ticketmaster.co.uk. Thomas Cooke Sport is offering hotel and hospitality packages from £179 per person.