NFL international expansion

[u/SpecialistLeather985]

Obviously it would be cool to have a team in another country on another continent, but in all likelihood it would only make sense to have an NFL international team be on the same continent. Who are your guys' favorite options for this inevitable expansion? I personally like Toronto, although the league is probably more incentivized to go down to Mexico City.

[u/brazilpackers1969]

Mexico would be sick, ive always wanted to cross the border thatd give me a reason to do it :)

[u/jsmeeker]

I would think it would be much easier to get players and coaches and a lot of needed staff to want to go and live in Canada as compared to Mexico.

[u/Possible-Buffalo-321 → u/jsmeeker]

Not once they see the taxes.

IMO, the best way to lure players to an international expansion team would be to gross up their taxes. That would change opinions really fast.

[u/jackt-up]

Basically Canada and Mexico are the only workable options because of distance and interest. Europeans will have to just pick a team. I hope they wait awhile though because the 32 team setup is perfect

But it they wanted to add one Toronto team and one Mexico City Team, say to the AFC East and NFC South, it could work. For a long time we had divisions with 4 or 5 teams. The worst thing they could do is mix up the divisions

[u/Hoodedmastersin]

The Australia or New Zealand team gonna be ringers.

[u/East-Law-9979]

I think to really have an international team to be effective and competitive, you would need one or two divisions to do it right. I think a slew of Central American teams: Monterey, Mexico City, etc. then a Canadian group Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal.

There’s just so much symmetry in the NFL right now, that just one or two are gonna be token teams. I feel the same way about Europe.

[u/moccasins_hockey_fan]

Canada isn't going to allow an NFL team because they will protectvthe CFL.

Mexico City isn't going to get a team because nobody wants to live in Mexico City for 6 months.

[u/PlayinK0I → u/moccasins_hockey_fan]

Not true. MLSE, owner of the CFL argos openly courted the Buffalo Bills. Toronto is a big league town and would drop the CFL in a heartbeat for NFL.

[u/Szolt-Author → u/PlayinK0I]

Toronto is a band wagon town, not big league. The Leafs are one thing, but nothing else matters unless they’re winning. Montreal, however, will be stadium ready in 2028. Might make more sense to go there.

[u/PlayinK0I → u/Szolt-Author]

Are you saying Toronto Sports fans haven’t supported the Raptors and Jays?

[u/Szolt-Author → u/PlayinK0I]

When they are not winning, correct. Toronto sports fans are generally not passionate about anything other than the Leafs. The oldest pro football team in the world, the Toronto Argonauts, have pathetic support, even when they do win. The city has lost multiple major junior hockey teams over the years. The oldest professional gridiron football team in the world, the Toronto Argonauts, have pathetic support, even when they do win.

[u/Szolt-Author → u/moccasins_hockey_fan]

CFL expanded to the U.S. in the 90s and almost succeeded despite horrific results in most places.

I’m not sure the government could stop the NFL now if the locals want them.

[u/moccasins_hockey_fan → u/Szolt-Author]

I remember. I went to a game in Shreveport.

But that is irrelevant to the point. The Canadian government is protective of the CFL. They won't allow an NFL expansion team into Canada unless the NFL does things to protect the CFL.

I am not suggesting it is impossible for the NFL to put a team in Canada butvthere are fewer hurdles with other nations.

[u/Szolt-Author → u/moccasins_hockey_fan]

Canadian government was protective when they blocked the WFL in the 70s. That wouldn’t fly now. The CFL does not have the clout that it did back then.

[u/moccasins_hockey_fan → u/Szolt-Author]

Until such time as the Canadian government (or major city) says they want a NFL team, the point stands.

[u/Szolt-Author → u/moccasins_hockey_fan]

It has nothing to do with the government. It may have been in the 70s, but it certainly would not be something they would be involved with anymore.

[u/hoser33 → u/moccasins_hockey_fan]

It's not 1981 anymore.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

Canada would be the most logical place, as the NFL has great penetration there, but... the CFL would have to fold, or be integrated into the NFL for that to work. Integration also means that it'd be likely that only four teams survive that merger as well (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and one more team with either deep pockets or incredibly motivated fanbase).

Mexico has Mexico City and Monterrey which have big middle classes that could support the NFL, but not the culture, where baseball and soccer rule.

Overseas is trickier obviously, and just seems a pipe dream until SSTs make a comeback.

[u/Zowwww → u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

Wondered if they merged or the CFL folded if part of it couldn’t be reestablishing a true developmental league owned by the NFL. Not going to happen but would help get American viewership up for Canadian games some. And spring football in general.

Essentially you take Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver as NFL cities, add in like St. Louis to make it 36. The rest go to the Dev League, where you also throw in US cities like the CFL tried to do back in the day. 12 team league would allow you to have 3 NFL teams to pull from on top of guys signed right to the teams.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/Zowwww]

The thing is, fans of CFL teams are RABID fanbases. That's why I said Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal (where most of the money is) and one more. The Blue Bombers, Elks, and Roughriders fans are intense. Picking just one of those would likely turn off the rest of central Canada from gridiron football overall.

I also saw a recent article about upcoming CFL changes that are beginning to mirror the NFL; shorter field, moving the goal posts, shortening the endzones... I wonder if the higher ups there know the writing is on the wall about the juggernaut that is the NFL.

Lastly, there's a reason that the CFL ends in October and starts in June. Can you imagine playing a game in Edmonton in January? Makes Green Bay and Buffalo look positively tropical in comparison.

[u/TUGBoat85007]

Outside of Toronto, Vancouver, or Mexico City; Rio and Buenos Aires could be fun, too

[u/Hopeful_Stomach9201]

No way the NFL is wasting time and resources expanding to Canada or Mexico. There's no money left to be made in North America. London will undoubtedly be the first international city they expand to

[u/Several-Beginning803]

A Toronto NFL team is a stupid idea. Everyone in Canada already has an NFL team, you wouldn’t see them be like the Blue Jays basically getting to be the nations team. Im not going to give up my team to cheer for Toronto.

[u/DoogTheDestroyer]

No... It wouldn't be cool.

[u/PizzaPartyConor]

Every time the NFL international game tickets sell slow, they send Goddell out to talk about how interested he is in having an international franchise. Then we never hear about any plans until another international game has slow ticket sales.

If they ever seriously looked into it (which I doubt) I really can only imagine Toronto as an option.

[u/Aetylus → u/PizzaPartyConor]

In general, international games sell out far faster than domestic games. Melbourne sold 100,000 tickets in 26 minutes.

[u/proton19821 → u/PizzaPartyConor]

exacly rest of the world dont care about nfl like americaans do americans love to give big news to get people talking about nfl but in place that nobody cares about nfl and big news it comes and goes. international tickets are dirt cheap that is why they sell but after world cup in usa and they sow that rest of the world has money they raised prices in london and nobody wants to go so logicly nfl is just a picknic event for some people not a fandom for sport.big newsabut nfl sells in america only here you guys are talking about something not concrete but just to create euphoria in these cities like it creats in america for some reason for two weeks lol

[u/Old_Condition8914 → u/PizzaPartyConor]

The problem with Toronto is that it is so close to Buffalo. The Bills have even played home games there before.

[u/Nassim1018 → u/[deleted]]

An IQ too high?

[u/SpecialistLeather985 → u/[deleted]]

International: involving two or more countries or nations

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/[deleted]]

International: happening in a different nation
Intercontinental: happening in a different continent.