Last season, the NFL had four international games on the docket. One of them was the Raiders versus the Bears as the first NFL game ever played at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London. This year they were set to again play four games. But due to the coronavirus epidemic, the NFL has canceled all International games.
“After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico and UK,” said NFL Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer Christopher Halpin said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season.
“We also thank our incredible fans in those territories for their passionate support of the NFL. We will continue to serve them through our outstanding media partners and by being active supporters of both grassroots football and COVID-19 relief efforts in Mexico and the UK.”
Playing internationally is something the Raiders had become quite familiar with of late. They had been the home team in either London or Mexico City five of the past six seasons.
With a new stadium in Las Vegas, the Raiders were not one of the four teams giving up a home game this season. And with their having played internationally in all but one season since 2014, they weren’t expected to be an away opponent either. The only team they play on the road who is playing a home game in London is the Falcons.
The NFL had been planning to play one game in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium and four games in London – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and two at Wembley Stadium – during the 2020 season. The Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins had all previously announced that they would be home teams for International Series Games in 2020. These teams will now play all of their home games this season at their home stadia in the United States.
The full 2020 NFL schedule is slated to be released as early as this Thursday but no later than Saturday.
