NFL Releases Matchups, Dates for Five International Games; ESPN Pushes Forward With First Exclusive Game on ESPN+

The National Football League has announced opponents and dates for its five 2022 international regular-season games – three in the UK, one in Germany, and one in Mexico. In addition, ESPN and ESPN+ will each carry an international game during the 2022 NFL season, with the first-ever exclusive NFL game on ESPN+ and the return of Monday Night Football to Mexico City.

NFL International Games

The 2022 international games will feature four playoff participants, including the NFC North champion Green Bay Packers and NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and an NFC West showdown in Mexico.

The 2022 international games:

United Kingdom (London)
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
October 2 at 9:30 am ET
NFL Network

United Kingdom (London)
New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
October 9 at 9:30 am ET
NFL Network

United Kingdom (London)
Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley Stadium)
October 30 at 9:30 am ET
ESPN+

Germany (Munich)
Seattle Seahawks vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Allianz Arena – Home of FC Bayern Munich)
November 13 at 9:30 am ET
NFL Network

Mexico (Mexico City)
San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals (Estadio Azteca)
November 21 at 8:15 pm ET
ESPN

Last year, as part of the league’s expansion of the regular season to 17 games, it was determined that, beginning with the 2022 season, up to four of the teams from the conference whose teams were eligible for a ninth regular-season home game would instead be designated to play a neutral-site international game each year.

This year’s international series will kick off with games on back-to-back weekends at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings will each play in the UK for the third time. Both teams have won on two previous occasions in the UK and will make their debut at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, October 2.

The following Sunday, October 9, the Green Bay Packers, NFC North champions for the third consecutive year, will face the New York Giants in their first international trip, becoming the 32nd NFL team to play in London since 2007. The Giants will play in the UK for the third time, having won both the inaugural London game at Wembley Stadium in 2007 and the first game played at Twickenham Stadium in 2016. This will be their first game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

London action shifts to Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 30, when the Jacksonville Jaguars, who played at Tottenham last season, return to Wembley for the first time since 2019, having played there for seven straight seasons. They will face the Denver Broncos who are making their first trip to the UK since they last played at Wembley in 2010.

In the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Germany, the two-time Super Bowl champion and current NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by quarterback Tom Brady, will face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, November 13. As previously announced, Munich and Frankfurt were chosen to stage regular-season games in Germany over the next four years. The first game will take place at Allianz Arena – Home of FC Bayern Munich.

The NFL will return to Mexico City on November 21 with Monday Night Football. Estadio Azteca will host a matchup between NFC West rivals San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals in a rematch of the NFL’s first regular-season game played outside the United States. In 2005, the teams played at Estadio Azteca with 103,467 fans in attendance, the eight largest crowd in NFL history.

ESPN+ To Exclusively Carry Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8

ESPN+ will feature the Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars from Wembley Stadium in London, England, at 9:30 a.m. ET on October 30 (Week 8) and Monday Night Football will see the San Francisco 49ers play the Arizona Cardinals from Estadio Azteca Stadium at 8 p.m. on November 21 (Week 11). Both games will also be available on local broadcast stations in the markets of the participating teams, with Monday Night Football also airing on ESPN Deportes.

The international games are part of The Walt Disney Company’s 21-game 2022 regular season schedule, with the remaining matchups to be announced next week. To conclude the season, ESPN will televise a Super Wild Card matchup and the Pro Bowl.

The exclusive ESPN+ NFL game this season begins an annual occurrence for the platform, as ESPN+ will carry one international game each year through the 2033 season – the duration of the new rights agreement announced last year. Select Monday Night Football and Super Wild Card games have been simulcast on ESPN+ previously.

Monday Night Football from Mexico City will leverage ESPN’s Mexico City production studios and local marketing resources as the network televises its fourth NFL game from the city. Previously, the franchise televised games from there in 2019 (Chiefs-Chargers) and 2016 (Raiders-Texans), following a Sunday Night Football telecast in 2005 (Cardinals-49ers).

Outside of the US, ESPN will air both games throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, the Netherlands and Africa.