While the NFL has been incredibly popular in the United States for many years, the league has recently prioritized globalization in an effort to expand the sport’s popularity abroad.
Enter the International Series.
In Week 1, the NFL played its first-ever contest in Brazil, with the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Green Bay Packers in dramatic fashion on a Friday night.
This season, there are five international games on the schedule. Below is a list of the dates and everything you need to know about each contest.
NFL International Games 2024
The Eagles’ 34-29 win over the Packers kicked off the 2024 slate of international action, and the first installment lived up to the hype (minus the injuries).
Then, in Week 5, the Minnesota Vikings defeated the New York Jets, 23-17, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
There are three more international games on the 2024 schedule, including two contests in London over the next two weeks. Finally, the International Series will wrap up in Week 10 in Munich. Then, the 2025 slate will feature a first-ever game in Madrid, Spain.
Here’s a look at the remaining international games in 2024:
Sunday, October 13 | Week 6
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network (London)
Sunday, October 20 | Week 7
New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network (London)
Sunday, November 10 | Week 10
New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network (Germany)
The Origin of NFL Games in London
While the International Series as we know it was created in 2007, the league started playing games overseas many years earlier, including multiple games in London back in the 1980s.
Between 1950 and 1983, 13 games involving NFL or AFL teams were played outside of the United States; seven of those games were against CFL teams in Canada. Three other games were also played in Canada — one in Toronto, two in Montreal — but they were against fellow NFL teams rather than outside opponents. The final three games were played in Tokyo in 1976, Mexico City in 1978, and London in 1983.
In 1986, the NFL launched the American Bowl, an annual preseason game that was held outside of the United States. The first-ever American Bowl was played in London on Aug. 3, 1986. Over the years, games were played in Japan, Canada, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, and Australia.
However, after the 2005 exhibition game between the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts in Tokyo, the NFL decided to abandon the American Bowl.
At the same time, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the end of NFL Europa, the league formerly known as the World League of American Football and NFL Europe. The final season of NFL Europa took place in 2007 — the same year the NFL started the International Series, which featured annual regular-season games in London.
Initially, the belief was that the NFL was assessing whether it made sense to give London its own NFL franchise and examine how a UK-based team could work logistically. In recent years, the NFL expanded its International Series to five overseas games being played during the 2024 season, including three in London.
Someday, we might even see London host the Super Bowl, which is something Goodell and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have discussed.
Jaguars-Bears Week 6 Preview
Let’s do a by-the-numbers preview of this week’s London showdown courtesy of Pro Football Network’s Week 6 Stats and Insights.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Team: The Jaguars earned their first victory of the season on Sunday (a 37-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts), making this the first time since 2019 that Jacksonville has won its most recent game in the United States before departing for London.
QB: Trevor Lawrence threw for 371 yards last week against the Colts, the first time he cleared 220 yards this season. Over his past two games, Lawrence is averaging a touchdown pass once every 16.8 attempts (Weeks 1-3: 44.5).
Offense: The Jaguars are averaging a league-best 4.2 yards after contact per rush. That’s been a weakness for the Bears defense, which ranks 26th with 3.3 yards after contact allowed per rush.
Defense: Jacksonville has forced a turnover on just 1.9% of drives, easily the lowest mark in the NFL. Over the past 20 years, the low watermark for turnover rate for an entire season is the 2018 San Francisco 49ers (3.9%).
Fantasy: Travis Etienne’s next PPR finish inside the top 20 at the position this season will be his first. He was on the field for 72.1% of offensive snaps in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, 51.7% against the Houston Texans in Week 4, and just 38.6% against the Colts on Sunday.
Betting: Each of Jacksonville’s last four London games has gone under the projected total (5.6 PPG below the closing total) – the Jags have covered three of those contests.
Chicago Bears
Team: The Bears are seeking a third straight win. Their last three-game win streak came in Weeks 14-16 in 2020, which means they haven’t strung three wins together since the NFL went to an 18-week schedule.
QB: Caleb Williams has exactly five rush attempts in four of five games this season and has posted his top-two PFN QB+ grades in the past two weeks. He gets a favorable matchup this week (JAX: fifth-most yards per pass attempt allowed) before facing the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals coming out of his Week 7 bye.
Offense: The Bears have improved their points per drive with each passing week (0.90, 1.08, 1.33, 2.40, and 3.00 last weekend against the Carolina Panthers).
Defense: The Bears have the best defensive EPA per dropback this season (0.28). It’s Chicago’s best defensive EPA per dropback since at least 2000.
Fantasy: D’Andre Swift’s snap share isn’t budging (exactly two-thirds in three of his past four games), but he has posted consecutive top-five PPR weeks at the position and faces the third-worst red zone defense in the league up to this point.
Betting: The Bears have covered four straight games as a favorite, the longest active streak in the NFL. Another cover would tie their longest streak since 2000 (five straight in 2018 and 2005-06).