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First they came to Britain, then Germany, then Ireland, then Spain. Now the National Football League, America’s biggest domestic sport is heading to France as its seeks to expand its fanbase in Europe.
The New Orleans Saints will gear up to play the first regular-season game of 2026 in Paris, the first ever NFL game in France.
The match is set to be played at the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium with a capacity of 81,000 seats.
In a statement the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “Paris is one of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages.”
Sentiments shared by the teams owner Gayle Benson: “We are excited to be selected to play in the first regular season game to be held in France. This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris.”
Even Charles Kushner, the US Ambassador to France, jumped on the bandwagon, with a cheeky dig at Emmanuel Macron‘s now much parodied ‘for sure‘ comments following his speech at Davos last month
World domination
This first-time appearance on French soil is a continuation of the NFL’s attempts at increasing its worldwide reach and marketing appeal to compete with the bigger global reach of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The NFL says it has more than 14 million fans in France and launched a flag football programme there in 2023 that already reaches more than 8,000 boys and girls. Flag football, in which tackles are forbidden, is also expected to receive a worldwide boost when it makes its debut at the LA Olympics in 2030.
The league has also announced the plans to keep playing regular-season games at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and a game to be played in Mexico City in December.
“It’s the ambition we have to be a global sport,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl, the climax of the NFL season. “But it’s also the demand we’re having. We’re hearing from cities that want to host these games and really want to get more American football.”
The NFL has already announced its first game in Australia next season with the Los Angeles Rams set to host that game, as well as games in Rio de Janeiro, Munich, and three in London.
In total, the league will have nine international games next season and Goodell said it will eventually have 16 international games a year so each team plays one.
Additional sources • AP