For the first time ever, an NFL team will play a pair of road games in two different European cities. It’s a sign of things to come.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Vikings’ Week 4 game against the Steelers in Dublin followed by their Week 5 game against the Browns in London is trial run for the expanded use of multiple teams that will play in multiple European cities in consecutive weeks.
As soon as next year, there could be two or three teams that swap two traditional road games for a pair of neutral-site games in London and/or Dublin and/or Germany and/or Spain and/or elsewhere in Europe. (Sign me up for Bruges.)
In 2026, those teams would likely come from the AFC, which will have nine road games in the current 17-game eight/nine home/away rotation.
Eventually, look for four franchises to serve as the “road” team in (math is hard) eight European games.
It’s all part of the NFL’s current plan to expand the number of international games to 16 per year. Which will be the approach unless and until the NFL drops a franchise or two (or four) in Europe.
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