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NFL Moves International Games Back To U.S. Due To COVID-19

NPR | By Austin Horn
Published May 4, 2020 at 3:04 PM EDT
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have hosted a game each season in the United Kingdom since 2013, would have been the first NFL franchise to play back-to-back games overseas.
Dave Shopland
/
AP
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have hosted a game each season in the United Kingdom since 2013, would have been the first NFL franchise to play back-to-back games overseas.

The NFL announced on Monday that it has moved the 2020 season's international games back to the U.S.

One game scheduled to take place in Mexico City, and four games slated for London, will instead take place in the U.S. due to the coronavirus, according to a statement from the NFL.

The NFL has been holding games in London's Wembley Stadium for the past 13 consecutive seasons in an attempt raise international interest in American football. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have hosted a game each season in the United Kingdom since 2013, would have been the first NFL franchise to play back-to-back games overseas with two home games formerly scheduled there this season. Their 2019 game in Wembley Stadium against the Houston Texans drew more than 84,000 fans.

The Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins were also slated to be home teams in London, while the Arizona Cardinals would have hosted the game in Mexico City.

"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," NFL executive vice president Christopher Halpin said in the release.

Halpin also said that the NFL looks forward to returning to the U.K. and Mexico for its 2021 season.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Austin Horn
Austin Horn is a 2019-2020 Kroc Fellow. He joined NPR after internships at the San Antonio Express-News and Frankfort State-Journal, as well as a couple stints in the service industry. He aims to keep his reporting grounded in the experience of real individuals of all stripes.
See stories by Austin Horn

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