With the NFL coming to London for three games this October, it begs the question of why the NFL is pushing American football into the European market.
There is a clear market of devoted sports fans to appeal to in the UK and Europe, particularly in the realm of football by its common definition. With a 9 per cent increase in viewership of individual matches in the Premier League, sport remains a strong part of British culture. If the NFL can tap into this it opens a huge new revenue stream, with betting and fantasy football being among some of the primary contributors to the £6.69b of revenue the Premier League brings in every year.
This doesn’t even acknowledge the strong connection between the UK football scene and Europe which allows expansive audience opportunities. Spain’s La Liga boasting the line-up of Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Anthony Gordon reflects a longstanding tradition of footballers dipping their toes in the European pool of teams, thus bringing in UK viewers to European matches and vice versa. This presents an opportunity for the NFL to attempt to piggyback off the UK’s extensive soft power by beginning its campaign with the London Games.
Further, the saturation of the US market with the NFL is an issue. Despite being the biggest professional sports league in the world by revenue at £16.9b, there has been a marked decrease in viewership for NFL fixtures, with views down 13 per cent from 2025 at just 19.5m watches of week 1 of the season. It is sensible for the NFL to try to appeal to a new audience, and with a 25 per cent increase in viewership of the Premier League in the 2025/26 season, the UK provides just that viewer retention the NFL desires. The Superbowl has provided a gateway into Europe as in 2026 it was watched by 3.4m Brits – can the NFL capitalise on this connection?
“2022 NFL London Games Celebration” by UKinUSA is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
