The NFL’s plans of world domination do not extend to Australia, at least not yet.
Although The Australian reported that a game was being planned for Sydney in 2024, the league said today that’s not the case.
“At this time we do not have plans to play a game in Australia but are firmly committed to finding more ways to serve our passionate and growing fanbase in Australia and New Zealand,” NFL COO/International Damani Leech told Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal.
The plans to serve the fanbase in Australia include a new NFL office in Australia and teams with international marketing rights in Australia. The NFL has had several Australian players, particularly punters, and the common language makes communicating with fans easy.
But the trip to and from Australia is a long way (minimum flight time 15 hours), and teams would surely not look forward to adding that kind of travel to their schedule. And the time zone makes it tricky to find a good kickoff time both for the fans in attendance and the American fans watching at home. Which means it’s hard to see a regular-season game in Australia any time soon.
