"Ticketmaster said they never seen anything like it" NFL chief reveals HUGE demand for tickets as Tom Brady, Buccaneers head to Germany
The NFL has been playing international games in recent years in an effort to expand its brand globally. The European market has been demonstrating strong returns as the league originally planned to play at least one game per season in England. However, it has already increased that number by playing multiple games per season there as the demand and popularity continue to grow in the newer market.
The 2022-23 NFL season will introduce another brand new market for the league to host an official game. Germany will play host to a regular season game for the first time in league history. Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Geno Smith's Seattle Seahawks travel to Munich in Week 10 for a clash at Allianz Stadium, the home of German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich FC.
Brett Gosper, the NFL's Head of Europe and UK, claims there is a massive demand for American football in Germany, according to a recent report by Daily Mail:
"As a sport, maybe it scratches an itch that other sports don't in that market. Rugby is not a big game in that market, so there is not another contact sport. There's a lot of professional sports kicking around in England, from cricket, to rugby, to football, and so on, and NFL still finds its way in that competitive landscape. But in Germany, there just seems to be a wider possibility to come in and occupy a space that maybe is not occupied by someone else."
Gosper claims interest in ticket sales backs up his claim:
"There were 800,000 people queuing for one game of football. Ticketmaster said they had never seen anything like it. They extrapolated that in demand terms, our analytics say you could have sold three million tickets."
How many international games will be played during the 2022-23 NFL season?
The 2022-23 NFL season will have five international games. They will be played in three different countries, including England, Germany, and Mexico.
England will host all three of its games in London. The Minnesota Vikings will play against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. The New York Giants will play against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, and the Denver Broncos take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8.
Week 10 will feature the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks facing off in Munich, Germany. Meanwhile, Week 11 allows Mexico City to play host to the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.