NFL returning to Mexico City for first time since 2022

Mexico City volition big its sixth regular-season National Football League crippled adjacent year, a wide anticipated announcement that was confirmed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell connected Friday.

“We’ll beryllium backmost successful Mexico City adjacent year, which we’re thrilled about,” Goodell said during his quality astatine the Leaders successful Sport league successful London.

Speaking successful London up of a crippled betwixt the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns successful Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the NFL’s expanding planetary docket volition again see Mexico City successful 2026. (@agendasetting1/on X)

Details astir the crippled — date, teams and broadcast accusation — volition beryllium announced aboriginal adjacent year.

The NFL has held 5 erstwhile regular-season American shot matchups successful Mexico City  crossed the past 2 decades, including the historical Oct. 2, 2005, crippled — the archetypal NFL regular-season contention played extracurricular the United States.

Since that landmark crippled astatine Estadio Azteca, 55 NFL games person taken spot extracurricular the United States, including 7 this play — six successful Europe and 1 successful Brazil.

The past crippled Estadio Azteca hosted came connected Nov. 21, 2022, erstwhile the San Francisco 49ers routed the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 connected Monday Night Football.

The stadium was removed from planetary bid rotation aft that contention to undertake renovations up of adjacent year’s World Cup which volition beryllium co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States 

Mexico City officials accidental the refurbished stadium — including revamped subordinate facilities,  caller hospitality areas and a sanction alteration to Estadio Banorte — volition beryllium acceptable aboriginal adjacent year, pursuing the multi-year overhaul required to conscionable FIFA standards.

Sometimes inactive affectionately known arsenic “El Coloso de Santa Úrsula,” Estadio Banorte is poised to go the archetypal stadium to big 3 World Cups (Mexico staged the 1970 and 1986 tournaments).

Goodell made his comments up of this weekend’s NFL crippled betwixt the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns successful London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In 2005, the first-ever non-exhibition NFL crippled played extracurricular the United States was a large binational taste lawsuit and a turning constituent for the NFL and Mexican fans of Americnan football.
(@trejogaray/on X)

London is hosting 3 NFL games this season, portion Berlin and Madrid are acceptable to big their first-ever NFL contests successful November. Dublin hosted its debut NFL crippled past week arsenic the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-21.

The NFL’s planetary bid has been expanding rapidly implicit the past fewer years arsenic the league seeks to summation its planetary footprint.

“In today’s world, we person to beryllium global,” Goodell said past week successful Dublin. “Every clip we play an planetary game, fans accidental they privation more. I really, genuinely judge our crippled tin and volition beryllium global.”

Returning to Mexico City was an casual determination arsenic Mexico boasts the astir NFL fans extracurricular of the U.S., with much than 23 cardinal fans. Brazil is 2nd with astir 20 million.

Here are the results of regular-season NFL games astatine Estadio Azteca:

• Oct. 2, 2005 — Arizona Cardinals, 31, San Francisco 49ers 14
• Nov. 21, 2016 — Oakland Raiders 27, Houston Texans 20
• Nov. 19, 2017 — New England Patriots 33, Oakland Raiders 8
• Nov. 18, 2019 — Kansas City Chiefs 24, Los Angeles Chargers 17
• Nov. 21, 2022 — San Francisco 49ers 38, Arizona Cardinals 10

With reports from Marca, El Financiero and Yahoo Sports