By Tokunbo Salako &Jake Dutkiewicz
Release date •updated
First they came to England, then Germany, then Ireland, then Spain. The National Football League, currently America’s largest domestic sport, is heading to France in hopes of expanding its fan base in Europe.
The New Orleans Saints prepare to play their first regular season game of 2026 in Paris, the first NFL game in France.
The match will be held at the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium with a capacity of 81,000 seats.
“Paris is one of the world’s greatest sports and cultural cities and has tremendous success hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
Team owner Gail Benson echoed similar sentiments: “We are excited to be selected to play in our first regular season game in France. This moment is special, not only because of the strong cultural ties between Louisiana and France, but also because we will be playing in front of the Saints’ growing fan base in Paris.”
Even US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner jumped on the bandwagon, cheekily saying: Emmanuel MacronIt’s now heavily parodiedsurelyComments after last month’s Davos speech
conquer the world
This first appearance on French soil is a continuation of the NFL’s attempt to increase its global reach and marketing appeal to compete with the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) larger global reach.
The NFL says it has more than 14 million fans in France and will launch a flag football program in the country in 2023, with more than 8,000 boys and girls already participating. Flag football, in which tackling is prohibited, will be featured for the first time at the 2030 Los Angeles Olympics, and is expected to become a worldwide hit.
The league also announced plans to continue regular-season games at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and to hold games in Mexico City in December.
“It’s our ambition to be a global sport,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a press conference ahead of this weekend’s games. super bowlThe climax of the NFL season. “But that’s also the demand that we have. We’re hearing from cities who want to host these games and really want more American football.”
The NFL has already announced that the first game in Australia next season will be hosted by the Los Angeles Rams, and three other games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Munich and London.
The league will have a total of nine international games next season, and Goodell said there will ultimately be 16 international games a year, with each team playing one.
Additional sources of information • AP