NFL Announces First Ever Regular Season Game in Berlin
Olympic Stadium will host the event in 2025
Posted On: December 11, 2024 By :The National Football League will play its first-ever regular season game in Berlin in 2025 as the league continues to expand its global footprint.
The 2025 NFL Berlin game will be played at the Olympic Stadium as part of a multiyear commitment to the city. The NFL has held regular season games in Munich and Frankfurt since 2022, with the game in Berlin set to mark the fifth NFL regular season game in Germany and the first in the German capital.
The NFL played five American Bowl games at the Olympic Stadium between 1990 and 1994, and it was also home to NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder from 2003–2007. In addition to the game, the NFL will work with the Berlin Senate across their major sports development program to grow and develop flag football in Berlin’s schools and clubs.
“Germany has a rich tradition of American football and the NFL has a deep history with the city of Berlin,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We first held a preseason game at the Olympic Stadium 34 years ago, before it was home to NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder in the early 2000s. Now, with almost 20 million NFL fans in Germany, we’ll make a historic return to the city playing a regular season game for the first time as we open the next chapter in our relationship with Berlin.”
Beginning in 2025, the NFL can schedule up to eight league-operated international regular season games per season. For 2025, the league has announced two regular season games in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one game in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid.
The Olympic Stadium hosted the 1936 Summer Olympic Games, the FIFA Men’s World Cup (1974 and 2006), a FIFA Women’s World Cup (2011) and six UEFA Euro 2024 matches. The venue is the home of Hertha BSC football club.
“This long-term partnership with the NFL will continue to boost Berlin as a global sports metropolis, as well as excite fans at the Olympic Stadium,” said Iris Spranger, senator for the interior and sports, State of Berlin. “The 2025 NFL Berlin game means worldwide visibility, numerous international guests, increased tourism and high economic value across the city. We’re looking forward to an incredible game and an ongoing successful partnership with the league, as we continue to strengthen the presence of American football throughout the state.”
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