On the 28th<\/sup> October 2007, the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins took to the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium, becoming the first two teams to contest an NFL regular-season game outside North America. The event was a huge success, with over 80,000 packing into Wembley. The NFL returned a year later, and the year after that, and so on for two decades. Today, the UK hosts multiple NFL games per season. It\u2019s an integral part of the season.<\/p>\n For the 2026 season, the NFL has lined up a record nine international games, including matches held in Australia and France for the first time. It\u2019s part of an aggressive global expansion strategy, one that is already reaping huge financial benefits through television broadcast deals.<\/p>\n The UK is in prime position for an NFL franchise <\/strong><\/p>\n The UK, however, remains the most fertile ground. There is a big fanbase here. Not on a par with the Premier League and association football generally, yet that\u2019s not going to worry the NFL. The goal is to get a slice of the pie, not challenge the Premier League.<\/p>\n But that sense of the UK being oven-ready for the NFL prevails. You can see with metrics like social media engagement and other areas like betting on the NFL that the league\u2019s presence here is keenly felt. Sky Sports, the key broadcaster, has made a huge commitment with its coverage, and works hard at marketing it.<\/p>\n Yet, what if the NFL were to come here permanently? It has been talked about for years. Most notably, there was the case of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that plays every season \u2013 usually multiple games \u2013 in London. For a while, it was speculated that the Jags\u2019 owner, Shahid Khan, would move the team here permanently, though those claims were rowed back.<\/p>\n However, this summer, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed that he believed an NFL franchise would launch outside of the United States. He didn\u2019t put a time frame on it, but it sounded like he was talking about years rather than decades. Could the UK be a possibility? Almost certainly. London seems like the smartest option. In fact, it would be surprising if they chose anywhere else.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-darku-1176844802-23897798.jpg\")