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NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly confirmed the league was considering adding Australian games to its international calendar, but warned it might not be right away.
“When you start talking about Asia-Pacific and Australia, you talk about distance, logistics and the football element in that. Those elements are real,” O’Reilly said. told reporters Tuesday.
Melbourne, Australia is 14 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time. In contrast, Germany and Spain are 6 hours ahead.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has vowed to expand the size of the NFL by offering more international regular season games. The 2024 season will feature three matches in the UK, one in Germany and one in Brazil. Spain is also expected to join the team for the 2025 season.
“Honestly, in 10 years, I’m going to be playing 16 international games,” Goodell said on ESPN last month. “I think I’ll try to get to eight or nine in the next few years.”
Goodell also envisions the NFL expanding its regular season schedule to 18 games, with each team receiving two byes. That could make international travel easier, as it would make sense for teams to get a full week off after playing in another country.
“The reaction we get from our fans every time we play in a new market is incredible,” Goodell said. I’m going back to Brazil and Mexico, but there are a lot of other markets, and of course I’m going to Spain next year. We’re already planning on it, but there’s also a lot of markets that want it. We’re thinking about playing there and we’re actively considering and exploring all of those things. ”
There are currently nine Australians on NFL rosters.
