Roger Goodell says he wouldn’t be surprised if a Super Bowl were played internationally

The NFL has moved numerous games to other countries, but an international Super Bowl always seemed off-limits.

However, the tone of this conversation changes.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the possibility of a Super Bowl being played outside the United States, and it seemed like a real possibility.

“We’ve traditionally always tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city – it’s always been some sort of reward for the cities that have NFL franchises,” Goodell said, via the Associated Press. “But things are changing. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happened one day.”

The NFL has continued to push international games, but the softening of its stance on a Super Bowl played overseas is new.

Who could host an international Super Bowl?

There won’t be a Super Bowl played in another country for a while. The next three Super Bowls all have hosts. New Orleans, the Bay Area and Los Angeles get the next three games.

If the Super Bowl is ever played outside the US, London seems the most likely option. The NFL has hosted regular season games in London for many seasons, and a world-class venue like Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is obviously up to the standard of hosting a Super Bowl. The NFL has played a game in London each of the last two weeks and has another coming up this week.

There will likely be backlash. Hosting a Super Bowl is big business and that’s a big reason why everyone was in an established NFL city. A regular host city like New Orleans or Miami doesn’t want to lose that revenue to London or elsewhere.

But the NFL wants to grow the game internationally, and a Super Bowl abroad would be a big step.

The NFL continues to expand worldwide

As part of Goodell’s remarks over the weekend, he mentioned his plan to play 16 international games per season if the regular season expands to 18 games. That would give every team an international match. He also said Ireland and Rio de Janeiro are likely to host games soon.

The NFL has been pushing its global expansion for some time. That year, Brazil hosted a week one game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, the first time South America hosted a game.

Almost every year the NFL expands its international portfolio, be it by adding more games in England or by awarding games to other countries. The next logical step to push the boundaries would be a Super Bowl in London, although there would be plenty of opposition to that.

It doesn’t matter. The NFL wants to expand the game internationally because it sees it as a way to increase its revenue. Now that Goodell has said he wouldn’t be at all surprised if a Super Bowl were played overseas, it’s probably inevitable.