NFL International Marketing And Global Markets Program

NFL global markets program saw the addition of 4 more markets and 2 new clubs this year. The 2023 spring meeting held in Minneapolis confirmed this recently.

This means new clubs and markets will be associated in the second year of this program. The main goal of this initiative is to cater to international football audiences while enlarging the entire fanbases.

This is a two-way deal because both the clubs of the National Football League and the countries participating will get benefit from the success of this program.

Unfortunately, not all teams that apply to participate in this program get the approval. That is why, 11 teams still have not gained access to the international market.

NFL International Markets

NFL international marketing rights authorize the teams to expand their business to their specified market for at least 5 years.

The marketing rights for France have been given to New Orleans Saints. The Saints are the only franchise to hold this right in this European country.

New England Patriots have been granted exclusive international marketing rights in countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

The Patriots along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can do marketing and bloom their fanbases in Austria and Switzerland as well.

Moreover, the Pittsburgh Steelers can be seen marketing in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Steelers are already in the Mexico market.

This is quite interesting because the previous owner of the Steelers, Dan Rooney used to serve as the ambassador of the United States to Ireland at some point in time.

Also, the Jacksonville Jaguars can expand their region to the Republic of Ireland.

In Germany, the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs can officially execute marketing from now on.

Below is the list of 14 International markets and the teams which hold the marketing rights:

Brazil

• Miami Dolphins

China

• Los Angeles Rams

France

• New Orleans Saints

Ghana

• Philadelphia Eagles

Australia

• Los Angeles Rams
• Philadelphia Eagles

New Zealand

• Los Angeles Rams
• Philadelphia Eagles

Republic of Ireland

• Jackson Ville Jaguars
• Pittsburgh Steelers

Spain

• Chicago Bears
• Miami Dolphins

Austria

• Kansas City Cheifs
• New England Patriots
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Switzerland

• Kansas City Cheifs
• New England Patriots
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Germany

• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• Kansas City Cheifs
• New England Patriots
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

United Kingdom

• Chicago Bears
• Miami Dolphins
• Jackson Ville Jaguars
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Minnesota Vikings
• New York Jets
• San Francisco 49ers

Mexico

• Houston Texans
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Denver Broncos
• Arizona Cardinals
• Dallas Cowboys
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Los Angeles Rams
• Kansas City Cheifs
• San Francisco 49ers

NFL global markets strategy is to allow both the NFL leagues and the global markets to grow together through selling merchandise, sponsorship programs, and so on.

Also, other vital elements to achieve this includes digital marketing, engagement, and other activities.

Playing and even watching sports fills one with an immense adrenaline rush and a gush of energy. Neither territories nor any differences matter when it comes to enjoying sporting events.

So, taking this into consideration, this strategy aims to incorporate several strategies for the accomplishment of this program.

As we can see, social media influencing has become the heavily applied way to create an impact in today’s world. So, the NFL aims to build its brands by utilizing influencers with large social media following.

They are planning to use social content creators who are suitable according to the country and niche, keeping diversity in mind. From music, fashion, and fitness to gaming, all sectors will be touched upon by this program.

The NFL teams will create partnership deals with all the major local as well as international brands of their assigned global market.

Apart from this, real-time content will be provided for immediate marketing response. Through this, the players can have fan interactions shortly after the completion of any sporting event.

By bringing in fan interaction sessions, and events, a sense of bonding will develop among the players as well as the viewers.

This will further create a sense of belongingness for both parties. After that, the fans will be more willing to buy the team’s marches, which will eventually bloom their revenue. 

After utilizing such strategies the National Football League’s intention to be recognized everywhere as a global brand and generate large revenues at the same time may be fulfilled.

Smallest markets in NFL comprise Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders. Jacksonville Jaguars is also on the list.

On the basis of several factors like market size, seating capacity of the stadium, net value, and worth, these clubs have been deemed to have the smallest market.

The aforementioned clubs may have small markets, but the loyalty, dedication, and passion of their fans is immeasurable.

Green Bay Packers

Being a relatively smaller city Green Bay still has a franchise in the National Football League. They will be hosting the 2025 NFL Draft inside Lambeau Field.

Yahoo wonders where will Green Bay accommodate the crowd which was over 300,000 in the 2023 Draft. The Packers has a market size of 456,00 people. They are the 13th most valuable NFL team with a net worth of $3.475 billion.

Buffalo Bills

Bills were established 63 years ago and have participated in 4 Super Bowls. The new stadium for the Bills is under construction with a seating capacity of 63,000.

Their market size is around 612,780 people. The franchise that represents the city of Buffalo is worth $2.27 billion.

Largest NFL Markets

NFL largest markets are New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Philadelphia and Dallas are also listed in the top NFL market.

Looking at the overall population, area, and development of the franchises, this list has been prepared.

New York City

New York City represents the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League.

Being the most famous city not only in the United States of America but in the world, New York has a total population of 8,736,047.

While the Jets have a total value of $4.05 billion, the Giants are the third richest NFL team with a value of $5.73 billion.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles also has two teams in one of the biggest sports leagues in the world, NFL. They are Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

The total population of Los Angles stands at around 3.86 million. The Rams are also the richest team in the league with a worth of $5.91 billion, while Charger’s value is estimated at $ 2.92 billion.

NFL international expansion teams may lead to a four-team European Division. London is most likely to have a team in the league outside the borders of America.

It is because most of the international games have been organized in the United Kingdom. In addition, here is the list of cities that can be home to new teams:

• Toronto, Canada
• Mexico City, Mexico
• St. Louis, U.S.
• Tokyo, Japan
• Montreal, Canada
• Frankfurt, Germany
• San Antonio, U.S.
• Salt Lake City, U.S.
• Sydney, Australia
• Hartford, U.S.

Firstly, Mexico witnessed a game of the American Gridiron in 2005. It was the first game of the league to be held internationally.

The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played against each other. For the 2023 regular season, 5 international games have been scheduled in London and Germany.

Organizing matches globally, and in other parts of the world helps the sport to grow. So, there has been a lot of talk about the NFL expansion.

However, the timeline for this expansion has not been confirmed yet.

Future NFL Expansion Teams

NFL expansion teams 2024 will probably include a franchise in the United Kingdom. Except for the United States of America, no other country has a club in NFL.

Since 2002, the National Football League has 32 teams, with Houston Texans as the last one to join. Historically, the National Football League has limited the expansion to only two teams at a time.

It is yet to see how many, and in which countries will the NFL start a franchise. Per the article published by Bleacher Report, here are some of the future teams from the league:

• Portland Pirates
• Toronto Bucks
• Orlando Owls
• San Antonio Slash
• Mexico City Bullets
• Rome Rhinos
• Tokyo Seadevils
• London Leopards
• Berlin Bulldogs

NFL expansion 40 teams is a possibility in the near future according to Mike Florio. The American sportswriter mentioned it during an interview with Pat McAfee.

When Florio appeared at the Pat McAfee show in March, he gave this inside scoop. Since it was interesting news, Pat McAfee took to Twitter to share this news.

Per the analysis of Mike Florio, the team will increase by two in each addition. It will be 34 from 32 and in the same order, it will reach from 34 to 36 and eventually 40.

As the global market of the league is expanding every year, the league is planning to increase its franchises. Even Marca wrote an article about this probable extension.

Presently, only 22 states have their own team, with no franchise in the remaining 28. Adding teams in other states will surely help the league grow even more.

However, there are lots of challenges. Recruiting an able quarterback for the team is the first challenge. Also, huge investments and capital are inevitable.

Currently, 32 teams are under eight divisions. AFC and NFC comprise 4 divisions each.

With the addition of 8 more teams, many football fanatics are suggesting that there will be 10 total divisions.