NFL London Games

The National Football League staged its first regular season game outside the United States in Mexico City in 2005. The following year, NFL owners approved playing up to two games away from the country. This led to the birth of the NFL International Series in 2007, with the first regular season NFL game ever held outside North America taking place at London’s Wembley Stadium in front of more than 80,000 fans.

That day, 28 October 2007, brought heart-pumping action between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins. Showcasing more running than passing due to the weather, the Giants squeaked away with a 13-10 win, and UK fans got the chance to cheer on quarterback Eli Manning and the team before they ultimately claimed the Super Bowl XLII trophy.

A huge success in its first year, the NFL’s International Series returned to the UK capital in 2008. Quarterback Drew Brees put on a passing clinic this time around, taking the New Orleans Saints to victory over the San Diego Chargers.

Fans got a chance to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots clobber the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009, while 2010 brought victory for the San Francisco 49ers over the Denver Broncos. The London game in 2011 was a nail-biter as the Chicago Bears scraped by the returning Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and 2012 saw the New England Patriots demolish the Los Angeles Rams.

In 2012, the NFL announced that for the following season its International Series would present two games in London. So in 2013, the San Francisco 49ers – helmed by Colin Kaepernick – beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings held off the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Between 2014 and 2016, the NFL added yet another game to the International Series schedule. Among the many highlights during those years was the first divisional game ever played on the other side of the Atlantic in 2015, with the New York Jets beating the Miami Dolphins.

By 2017, the International Series had expanded to not only include a return to Mexico but also encompass multiple stadiums in England. At this time, two sub-series were created to feature one NFL Mexico Game and four NFL London Games. Wembley Stadium went on to host the Baltimore Ravens v Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints v Miami Dolphins, while Twickenham Stadium showcased the Arizona Cardinals v Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings v Cleveland Browns.

In 2018, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders all visited. Held in consecutive weeks, all three games were sell-outs at Wembley Stadium, with the final one between Jacksonville and Philadelphia achieving a record attendance of 85,870 people.

The NFL signed a 10-year deal to host at least two NFL London Games a year at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from the venue’s opening in 2019. These games were thrillers with the Chicago Bears coming back from a 17-point half-time deficit to take the lead and then lose to the Oakland Raiders in the last two minutes, and the Carolina Panthers capitalising on five interceptions to prevail against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Also in 2019, the Wembley double-header – with quarterback Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams convincingly defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Houston Texans hammering the Jacksonville Jaguars – did not disappoint.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2020 NFL International Series was cancelled and all games were held in the US.

In May 2021, the NFL announced the International Series would return to the UK that autumn with a pair of NFL London Games played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The matchups confirmed were the Atlanta Falcons v New York Jets on 10 October and Jacksonville Jaguars v Miami Dolphins on 17 October 2021.

NFL London Games 2021 schedule

• Atlanta Falcons v New York Jets
  Sunday 10 October 2021, 14:30 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
  Playing for only their second time in the UK and the first since 2015, the New York Jets will face the Atlanta Falcons led by four-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan. This will also be the Falcons second trip across the pond, having previously played in London in 2014.
  
• Jacksonville Jaguars v Miami Dolphins
  Sunday 17 October 2021, 14:30 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
  The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to play in their record eighth London game this autumn against the Miami Dolphins, on their fifth visit to the capital.