Máximo Tuja for BI
- The NFL is kicking off its most demanding international season this year with seven games abroad.The NFL's global strategy focuses on building international fan bases for long-term brand growth.This article is part of "The Business of Sports," a series on the teams, leagues, and brands turning competition into big business.
When the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers kick off their season in São Paulo on September 5, it will mark the first of seven National Football League games taking place outside the United States. This is the NFL's most demanding international season yet.
"I think that the aggressive efforts Roger Goodell has undertaken seem to be paying off," Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College, said of the NFL commissioner's global strategy.
But Zimbalist said the payoff from the league's international push isn't from a revenue standpoint — at least not yet.
"They're playing a longer-term game," he said. Unlike other businesses, where a successful domestic product can more easily translate abroad, a professional sports team may take longer to sell internationally, because "leagues are organized within a country," Zimbalist added.
Other US professional leagues, such as Major League Baseball, are also trying to expand globally, but have encountered setbacks. Despite hosting the season's opening game in Japan, the MLB was unable to secure financing for a two-game Paris series that was to take place this summer. The league also canceled its plans to hold games in Mexico and Puerto Rico this season.
While the NFL continues filling seats in more countries, its current momentum didn't materialize overnight. Teams have played regular-season matchups abroad since 2005 and preseason games since 1950. In 1991, the NFL even experimented with the World League of American Football, a league of teams from Europe and North America, which lasted only two years.
Through this, the NFL recognized that playing games on foreign soil alone isn't enough to build a sustainable international business model. Now, the league is betting that its global efforts can succeed where others have stalled, with a strategy built on business partnerships and cultivating local fan bases around existing teams.
"Just having a game in a country is not enough, just having broadcast distribution is not enough, just doing social is not enough — it takes a comprehensive plan to activate and engage fans year-round," said Gerrit Meier, the managing director and head of NFL International. "Games and media reach are key catalysts here, but they need the support of many other tactics, including dedicated local teams."
A targeted strategy abroad
A key driver for the NFL's expansion abroad has been its Global Markets Program, which gives clubs international marketing rights to specific countries. Teams can apply for rights in one or more countries, targeting locations that make the most sense from both a cultural and business standpoint.
Through the program, teams use targeted strategies to build fandom and brand awareness abroad. These include local events that engage directly with fans, such as watch parties, and encouraging participation in the sport through youth football clinics and the promotion of organized flag football.
It's a smart approach that can grow local fan bases for teams while activating new sponsorship opportunities, including collaborations with "large brands the NFL hopes to cultivate over time," said David M. Carter, an adjunct sports business professor at the University of Southern California and founder of the Sports Business Group, a sports and entertainment consulting firm.
With seven more NFL clubs having joined the program earlier this year, the league now has all 32 teams strategically aligned with one or more countries. Several franchises already participating also announced new partnerships.
For instance, the Seattle Seahawks signed a deal with TGI Sport to be the team's strategy, events, and commercialization agency in Australia and New Zealand. Over the past year, the Seahawks have also formed international partnerships with companies, including Infront, Condor Airlines, and BDA Inc.
Measuring success beyond revenue
Carter told Business Insider that assessing the NFL's global business strategy performance to date requires nuance. Indicators like increased streaming subscribers, more fans in seats, and a growing social media presence are some of the ways the NFL is measuring its international strategy's success, beyond current or short-term revenue gain.
"Measuring international success is both objective, actual revenue generation over time, and subjective — longer term brand building that will eventually yield revenue as the NFL's notoriety as a global sports brand continues to climb," Carter said.
Other measurable indications that the league is on the right path have begun to emerge. For instance, the NFL's international direct-to-consumer service Game Pass, operated by DAZN, saw a 23% increase in paying subscribers and a 47% jump in free users last year.
"Long-term, our success is defined by building fandom, which now exceeds 240 million worldwide," Meier said, adding that more than half of the NFL's engagement across its official social media accounts now comes from outside the United States.
It's still unclear if expanding abroad will yield lasting revenue for the NFL. But its playbook is laying the groundwork for what could deliver financially in the long run.
"Our international goals are clear: bring our game to more fans globally, develop lasting fandom through grassroots initiatives, and build pathways for international players to reach the NFL," Meier said. "Ultimately, our vision is for the NFL to be not just America's most popular sport, but a global sport property for fans and athletes everywhere."
