Leagues and Governing Bodies
NFL ponders options for Wembley
Decision to continue playing games there tied to Jacksonville Jaguars’ strategy for London.
Getty Images
The NFL has an option to play games at Wembley Stadium in London through 2025 and expects to make a decision about whether to exercise it after the upcoming season. The current agreement, struck in 2015, runs through 2020.
Under the existing deal, the Jacksonville Jaguars play one game a year at the venue in north London, as they have done each season since 2013. The league is expected to exercise its option but the decision is tied to what Jacksonville does.
Key Moments In NFL London Play
2007
Giants and Dolphins play first regular-season game at Wembley
2013
The Jaguars make their London debut
For the first time, the NFL stages two games in London
2015
The Jaguars agree to continue playing one game a year in London through 2020
2017
NFL stages four games in London
2018
NFL begins 10-year, 20-game contract with Premier League club Tottenham to play games at team’s new stadium
Source: NFL
“Presumably it would be part of the Jaguars continuing to extend their commitment to play a game a year there,” said Mark Waller, NFL executive vice president of international.
The Jaguars are greatly satisfied with Wembley, and approximately 12 percent of the club’s revenue is derived from the London game, said Hussain Naqi, senior vice president of international development for the team. The club’s owner, Shahid Khan, wants to buy the stadium outright, a process that is slowly proceeding in London.
The option to extend the deal belongs to the NFL, not Wembley — which is currently owned by the Football Association, the governing body of soccer in England — and it does not need an owners’ vote, Waller added.
The NFL first began playing an annual game in London in 2007. In total, the league has played 21 games in London, 18 at Wembley and three at Twickenham.
This year, the league also begins playing at the new Tottenham stadium. The NFL has a 10-year deal with the Premier League club to play 20 games there over the next 10 years, starting with this season’s Oct. 14 game between the Seahawks and the Raiders. The two Wembley games take place on Oct. 21 (Titans vs. Chargers) and Oct. 28 (Eagles vs. Jaguars).
