The NFL’s global presence continues to grow, with games set to take place in six different countries during the 2025 regular season, including the United States. But one location in particular—London—is showing a massive appetite for American football.
On Thursday, fans flocked to secure seats for the three scheduled NFL games in London. Tickets went on sale at noon local time in the UK, and the demand was overwhelming. More than 250,000 people joined the online queue on Ticketmaster.
The surge was so intense that Ticketmaster and the NFL decided to pause sales temporarily in order to manage the crowd and ensure a fair purchasing process.
When Ticketmaster detects unusually high traffic, especially from automated bots, it often pauses queues to give real fans a better chance at securing tickets. Automated reseller programs can scoop up dozens of tickets in one go, sometimes even entire rows or sections, which drives up resale prices and limits availability for the general public.
This year, the NFL’s London slate begins in Week 5, when the Cleveland Browns face the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A week later, the New York Jets will meet the Denver Broncos at the same venue.
In Week 7, Wembley Stadium will host the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Los Angeles Rams. The Jaguars have played regularly in London over the last decade and are considered the city’s unofficial home team. This upcoming matchup will mark their 14th appearance in the UK.
The NFL’s international push isn’t new. Games have been held in Mexico and Canada, while preseason contests have taken place in Japan, Australia, and Sweden. At one point, the league even operated a European developmental league, NFL Europe, with teams based in countries like Germany and the Netherlands. That league helped launch the careers of several future NFL stars, including Super Bowl champions Brad Johnson, Adam Vinatieri, and Kurt Warner.
Speculation continues to swirl about the possibility of a permanent NFL team in Europe. While no firm plans are in place, the enthusiastic response to London games shows a growing fanbase hungry for more football.
