NFL teams head to Berlin as league eyes more games in Germany

Fans cheer during an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)

It seems like the NFL can’t get enough of Germany.

Berlin will be the third German city to host a regular-season game when the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons square off Sunday at Olympiastadion.

The Colts and Falcons won’t be alone in the German capital. Nine other teams with commercial rights in the country through the NFL’s global markets program will also be in town to host events around the city in attempts to win over local fans.

Germany is the most sought-after country in the program: 11 of the league’s 32 teams have rights there. Mexico is next with 10 teams; Britain has nine.

“We don’t think it’s crowded. Germany is a big country, 80-plus million people living here,” Alexander Steinforth, the general manager of NFL Germany, told The Associated Press in an interview.

“If you look at the numbers, you still have a lot of potential to tap into — sports fans that are not NFL fans yet. And even if you look at the NFL fans, it’s less than 50% who have already picked their team. So, most of the people here are fans of the league.”

The ratio is slowly changing as teams engage fans and the sport gains in popularity.

“But I still believe there is a lot of opportunity for NFL teams in general here in the market,” Steinforth said.

Berlin game launches 5-year cycle

Berlin will also host a game in 2027 and 2029. There will be Germany games in 2026 and 2028, but not in Berlin.

“We’re right now in the process of finalizing a deal with another city in Germany, which we’ll announce in the next couple of weeks,” Steinforth said.

He declined to specify whether next year’s game will be a return to Munich or Frankfurt, or a new location.

Munich hosted Germany’s first regular-season game in 2022. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 after an eventful week in which Brady was both gifted Bavarian lederhosen and quizzed about his divorce.

Frankfurt then hosted two games in 2023. It was back to Munich last season. Germany so far is the only country outside the U.S to have held games in multiple cities.

“The games in Munich as well as in Frankfurt made a lot of cities raise their hand saying, ‘Let’s talk.’ That’s when Berlin got really active,” Steinforth said.

Berlin has invested $14.3 million (12.5 million euros) as part of the deal — for stadium upgrades as well as investments in flag and tackle football, Steinforth said. The league has also pointed to studies showing boosts to the local economies.

Olympiastadion will be sold out at 72,000 fans for Sunday, Steinforth added.

Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf originally were the cities selected as finalists to host games.

Back in 1990, the NFL staged a memorable preseason game in Berlin.

Amon-Ra St. Brown’s impact in Germany

After Sunday’s game, only three of the teams with commercial rights in Germany will still not have played there: the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Next season, the NFC gets the extra home game in the 17-game schedule — which could put the Lions or Packers in the driver’s seat to “host” a game in Germany.

A Lions game in Germany would be a marketing bonanza for all sides thanks to star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is half-German and a fluent German speaker.

A German player from a GMP team playing in Germany “is kind of the ultimate combination that you could hope for,” Steinforth said.

More generally, St. Brown’s impact on the game’s popularity in Germany is significant, he added.

“It especially helps because he holds one of those positions where you can decide games,” Steinforth said.

“They are often doing the most spectacular plays. Having him as someone who has a German mother, who has spent quite a bit of time in Germany and still has that passionate relationship to the country is extremely helpful. We see that when we look at the popularity of the Lions over here — which is growing year over year in a very impressive way.”

Kids’ commentary on German TV

The NFL’s broadcast partner in Germany, RTL, will also air Sunday’s game on its children’s channel, TOGGO, commercial free and with commentary geared toward kids.

“These are the kinds of initiatives that really help us to tap into new audiences, and ensure that we’re also reaching the next generation of NFL fans,” Steinforth said.

Ken Maguire, The Associated Press