Two weeks ago, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft spilled the beans on a local radio show and told the world that the NFL has plans for every single team to play an international game every single year
when the league goes up to a 20-week, 18-game regular season. NFL owners are hoping that this can be codified in the next collective bargaining agreement with players, which should be agreed upon before the league goes to market for its next round of broadcast agreements. The next broadcast negotiation can start at any time, as the NFL will likely trigger an opt-out for its current deal as early as the 2029 season.
In the Bay Area for the Super Bowl, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the league will be playing a game in Mexico City for the 2026 regular season. That brings the league’s total international package up to nine games, with three in London and one in each of the following cities: Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
Goodell also said that Kraft’s statement is true, that the plan is for every team to play an international game every season at some point.
“I’ve said many times 16 games, so that every team is playing a regular season game every season,” Goodell said. “I think that’s an important mark for us to go for. I think we’re well on our way, with the desire we have from our side, but also the desire for people to have this in their communities, and some of the greatest cities in the world are asking to do this.”
The Green Bay Packers have only ever played two international games (New York Giants in London and Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo), so they are relatively “due” for an overseas game. The only team that has played fewer international games than Green Bay is the Dallas Cowboys, the league’s money printer.
So far, here’s what we know about the NFL’s international slate in 2026:
- The Los Angeles Rams are the home team for the Melbourne game. Green Bay has a road game scheduled against the Rams in 2026.
- The New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns will reportedly be the matchup in Paris. The Saints are the designated home team, and the Packers have a road game scheduled against the Saints in 2026. If the reporting is wrong about the Browns being a road tame in this matchup, the Packers are an option for the league’s schedule-makers.
- The NFL’s Wembley Stadium game (the league will also play two games in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2026) will have the Jacksonville Jaguars as the host. The Jaguars aren’t on Green Bay’s schedule, so the Packers aren’t available to play in that specific London game, but could play in a Tottenham Hotspur Stadium game.
- No teams have been linked to the Madrid, Mexico City, Munich, Rio de Janeiro or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium games, which leaves those six options pretty open-ended.
It’s the NFC’s turn to have nine home regular-season games, so the Packers may be considered the “host” team for one of these international matches and still keep their usual eight-game home schedule. Green Bay was the designated home team for the London game in 2022, but was the away team for the Sao Paulo game in 2024.
For what it’s worth, here are the teams that have claimed a remaining host site as an International Home Marketing Area (HMA). This is requested to the league.
- Brazil
- On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Detroit Lions (home and away games for Green Bay), Miami Dolphins (home game for Green Bay) and New England Patriots (away)
- Not on 2026 schedule: Philadelphia Eagles
- Germany
- On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Atlanta Falcons (home), Carolina Panthers (home), Detroit Lions (home and away), New England Patriots (away) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (away)
- Not on 2026 schedule: Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks
- Other: The Green Bay Packers have Germany as an HMA, along with Ireland and the United Kingdom.
- Mexico
- On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Dallas Cowboys (home), Houston Texans (home), Los Angeles Rams (away-doubtful Rams would host two international games, already announced as Melbourne game’s host) and Miami Dolphins (home)
- Not on 2026 schedule: Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers
- Spain
- On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Chicago Bears (home and away) and Miami Dolphins (home)
- Not on 2026 schedule: Kansas City Chiefs
- United Kingdom
- On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Chicago Bears (home and away), Miami Dolphins (home), Minnesota Vikings (home and away) and New York Jets (away)
- Not on 2026 schedule: Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers
- Other: The Green Bay Packers have the UK as an HMA, along with Germany and Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers (not on the Packers’ schedule) have the UK as an HMA, but only for Northern Ireland.
If you want to assume that the NFL will have at least one HMA team represented in these games, it’s not a terrible bet. The only team that claimed France as an HMA is the Saints, the Rams are one of four who claimed Australia and the Jaguars are one of nine who claimed the non-Northern Ireland United Kingdom.
Here are the possibilities for the Packers’ 2026 regular-season slate
Packers 2026 Home Games
Any of these games has the possibility of being moved to London or Munich, based on Green Bay’s claim of Germany and the United Kingdom as the team’s HMA.
- Chicago Bears (also has the UK as an HMA)
- Detroit Lions (also has Germany as an HMA)
- Minnesota Vikings (also has the UK as an HMA)
- Atlanta Falcons (also has Germany as an HMA)
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers (also has Germany as an HMA)
- Dallas Cowboys
- Houston Texans
- Miami Dolphins (also has the UK as an HMA)
Packers 2026 Away Games
- Chicago Bears (Madrid or London)
- Detroit Lions (Munich)
- Minnesota Vikings (London)
- Los Angeles Rams (Melbourne, doubtful Rams would host both a Melbourne and Mexico City game)
- New England Patriots (Munich or Rio de Janeiro)
- New Orleans Saints (None, as long as the Cleveland Browns are indeed the road team for the Paris game)
- New York Jets (London)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Munich)
Process of elimination still leaves Green Bay with a lot of potential international options for the 2026 season.
