Rodgers backs NFL international week after Steelers win in Paris
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers endorsed an international week in the NFL season after beating the New Orleans Saints in Paris. The league is also planning a game in Tokyo and aims for 16 international games a season.
Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, led his team to a win over the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France in Paris on Sunday. Afterwards he backed the idea of adding an international week to the American football league's season, in which games would be played in many places around the world at once.
The Steelers took part in the NFL's Dublin debut last year, beating the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park. This time the team travelled overseas again for the league's first game in the French capital.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Friday that the league plans a game in Tokyo, Japan, in either 2027 or 2028. The wider ambition is to reach 16 international games per season. Goodell explained that the league is following Formula 1's model and may explore an international franchise or division.
Rodgers' vision
Rodgers said soccer probably has the largest fan base worldwide, but the NFL also has broad reach, with the Super Bowl shown in more than 100 countries. He recalled that during the 2011 collective bargaining agreement there was talk of increasing international games. An international week, with games in 16 places and an extra bye week, was also discussed. He said it would have been phenomenal, but owners now want 17 games for extra revenue.
He named Canada, Mexico, another South American country, several European countries and Dubai as possible expansion areas.
Travel schedule
The 2026 season has a record nine international games. Paris, Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro are the league's newest host cities. Over the next month the NFL heads to Madrid, Munich and Mexico City.
The Steelers landed in Paris only on Friday morning, while the Saints arrived at the start of the week. Rodgers said he wished the Steelers had come earlier. Arrival timing has become a talking point: the Rams landed in Melbourne just a day before losing to the San Francisco 49ers. A year earlier they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London after arriving on the eve of the game. Rodgers believes the league should mandate that teams arrive on Sunday or Monday.
