- The Bears and Vikings will play at Tottenham while the Jaguars go to Wembley
- The Allianz Arena will also host games again, with Carolina as the ‘home’ team
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The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars will play NFL games in London this year, while the Carolina Panthers will head to Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host the Bears and the Vikings, while the Jaguars will play their 12th game in the capital at Wembley Stadium.
Opponents and dates will be revealed when the schedule is released in spring.
The Bears have played twice in England – a 24-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley in 2011 and a 24-21 defeat by the then Oakland Raiders at Tottenham in 2019.
‘Every game the Chicago Bears play is rich in tradition, culture and passion. And every year, game after game, we look forward to welcoming fans to experience that richness,’ said George H McCaskey, chairman of the Chicago Bears.
‘This year, we will take our storied franchise and tradition back to London and share internationally what our fans locally experience at every game. We are excited to join the many NFL teams who are expanding internationally to play a game in London during our 2024 season.’
The Vikings became the first team to play at Wembley, Twickenham and Tottenham in 2022, winning all three encounters.
The first saw an Adrian Peterson-inspired Minnesota beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 at Wembley in 2013; the second was a one-sided 33-16 win over the Cleveland Browns at Twickenham in 2017 and Minnesota beat the New Orleans Saints at Tottenham 28-25 as Saints kicker Wil Lutz failed with a game-tying field goal attempt, hitting the upright and the crossbar from 61 yards.
‘We are honoured to once again represent the NFL in the continued effort to make the game of football more accessible globally,’ said Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf.
‘We’ve seen tremendous international support of the Vikings with our previous three London games and with our successful bid to land the United Kingdom as a global market. Our focus will be on winning for the fourth consecutive time in London.’
The Jaguars first played in England in 2013 and have been back every season since, except from the Covid hit 2020 season.
Last year, the Jaguars became the first team to play back-to-back games in London, beating the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley before seeing off the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham. This year’s game will be the 10th time the Jaguars have hosted a game at Wembley and their record in England is 6-5.
‘We’ve now played 11 games in London, have forged deep relationships with fans and businesses, have introduced American football to young people that participate in our community programs throughout the UK, and we’ve raised funds and supported causes that touch many lives,’ said Shad Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
‘In all, we’ve established a strong Jaguars tradition in London that our fans and followers celebrate every day of the year. That tradition continues next season when the Jaguars return to London, and we can’t wait to see everyone once again in Wembley Stadium, our home away from home.’
The Panthers become the fourth team to host a game in Germany, following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots.
The NFL made its bow in Bavaria in 2022, with Tom Brady’s Buccaneers serenaded by adoring fans singing Country Roads some 15 minutes after the game had ended.
Demand for tickets in Germany is phenomenal. Tickets to both of this season’s games in Frankfurt sold out in 15 minutes, with 1.4million punters queuing up online attempting to see the Chiefs game against the Miami Dolphins.
Last month, the NFL announced it will play a regular season game at Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo– the first ever in South America. The designated team will be named in the coming months.
There will not be a game in Mexico in 2024 due to the refurbishment of the Estadio Azteca, but the NFL has confirmed that future international games will return to Mexico City.
‘Taking our game to more fans around the world is a major priority for the league and its 32 teams, and we are delighted to be returning to London and Munich in 2024,’ said Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president.
‘We look forward to welcoming these three teams to London for what promises to be another exciting slate of International Games in the U.K. in 2024,’ said Henry Hodgson, general manager, NFL U.K.
‘Regular season games have been played in London since 2007, and we are delighted to see the commitment to bringing the very best of the NFL to fans in the UK continue.
‘Together with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings we are excited to continue to give fans exceptional gameday memories as the NFL comes to the capital next season.’
All four designated teams playing overseas are part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program which awards international marketing rights to NFL teams in countries beyond the US to build fandom, and realise brand and commercial opportunities.
The Bears, Vikings and Jaguars have international marketing rights in the UK, while the Panthers have those rights in Germany.