American football has gone international in a big way. The NFL now has an international schedule every season. It began in 2007 with a game in London between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins, but it has since ballooned into an annual slate. The 2026 season will see a record nine games played abroad.
Some of the fixtures are now semi-permanent, such as those held in London and Germany. In other cases, the league seems keen to test the waters. For example, the first-ever games will be held in Paris and Melbourne this season.
What, then, about Japan? It is certainly possible. Logistically, it’s not much different from heading to Australia, so we could easily see a fixture lined up for the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. Of course, the country’s biggest venue, the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, would also be a possibility.
NFL fans are focused on the new season
The new NFL season is getting underway, so most fans will be more concerned with their teams’ Week 2 NFL game odds than with speculating on future games played in other countries, but the prospect remains intriguing.
The key to understanding this is that the NFL is keen on exploring new markets, seeing them as untapped fan bases. NFL fandom in Japan is niche, but it is growing. There are challenges, both cultural and logistical (television broadcast times, for instance), but you can appreciate the league’s interest.
Much of this is being driven by the ambitions of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. It has been he who has driven the NFL’s international presence, overseeing the first international game a year after he came into the role in 2006.
Recently, Goodell stated that he believed the NFL would have international franchises one day. He gave little indication of when – or where – that will be, but the fact the most powerful figure in the sport believes such a thing is inevitable has left everyone looking outward from the United States.
The Rams have one eye on Japan
An interesting team to look out for is the Los Angeles Rams. The Super Bowl favorites, who are part of that Australia game with the San Francisco 49ers, have been given Japan as an international Home Marketing Area (HMA). In practice, that means the Rams have some sense of exclusivity in marketing rights for Japan. It would also likely mean that the LA-based team would be the first to play there.
For what it’s worth, we should point out that relentless international expansion is not universally popular. It means more revenue, especially TV broadcasting deals, for the NFL’s 32 teams, yet some local fans have been outspoken in their opposition. An NFL game abroad means one fewer game at ‘home,’ and not every fan is happy about that.
Nevertheless, money talks in professional sports, and the NFL is buoyed by its status as the biggest league, financially speaking, in the world. It wants more than America can offer, and so it is sending its players to foreign countries to play. That could certainly mean Japan will host a game sooner rather than later.
