Roger Goodell isn’t slowing down the league’s international push, and Japan is reportedly next on the list.
This is the latest step in an expansion campaign that’s been building for two decades. The NFL has already planted its flag in London, Mexico City, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro, and this season adds Melbourne, Australia to the mix when the San Franchiseo 49ers and Los Angeles Rams kick off the international slate on Sep. 10.
Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Playing in Japan would mark new territory for a regular-season game, moving beyond the country’s history of hosting only preseason exhibitions
Roger Goodell admits NFL’s bold plan to take games overseas
Speaking with Sportico at Fanatics Fest in New York, the NFL commissioner, who recently drew attention for donating to a Trump-backed congressional candidate, confirmed the league wants a regular-season game in Tokyo, marking the clearest signal yet that the International Series is expanding into Asia.
“We did have a game in Tokyo,” Goodell said, “but it was a preseason game, so we want to do a regular-season game now.”
Asked if there was one new international market he had his eye on, Goodell went further than a single country. “I got about 10,” he said, without naming the full list. The 67-year-old commissioner did not break down which nations made his shortlist, so any specific country beyond Japan remains speculation for now.
Roger Goodell teases an @NFL Japan regular season game next 👀
Where do you wanna see a game? pic.twitter.com/mv3wfenK8J
— Sportico (@Sportico) July 16, 2026
However, fans expecting an imminent announcement for a game in Italy will have to wait. Despite the league recently granting marketing rights in Italy to the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns through its Global Markets Program, Goodell focused heavily on Tokyo, leaving European expansion to Italy on the back burner for now.
Moreover, achieving this vision requires the NFL Players Association to sign off on raising the current 10-game international cap. And this is a major logistical hurdle the league has yet to clear.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is on board with the massive travel grind. Players and coaches have already voiced concerns about transoceanic flights. For context, the 49ers are looking at a grueling 16-hour flight to Melbourne, and a trip to Tokyo runs about 11 hours even from the West Coast.
That is the exact tightrope Goodell is walking right now, trying to grow the sport globally without completely burning out the guys on the field. There is no official date or opponent locked in for Tokyo yet, but given how fast the NFL is expanding, a regular-season kickoff in Japan feels like a matter of when, not if.
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