Olympic Stadium
NFL will come to Berlin for a league game for the first time in 2025
The rumor has been going on for days, and now it is confirmed: The NFL will play a game in Berlin next season. And it will probably not be an exception.
A city in transition, this is how Berlin presented itself to the NFL in 1990, when the American Football League played its first preparatory game in the reunified capital; later the Berlin Thunder plowed the green in the Olympic Stadium in NFL Europe. 35 years after the preseason game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL is now returning to Berlin and will play a league game in the Olympic Stadium for the first time in 2025.
There had been a rumor in the US media since the beginning of the week that the National Football League would play a game in Berlin. It was announced last month that Berlin had also applied to host NFL games, and other German cities had also expressed their interest. On Wednesday, the NFL confirmed that the 2025 Berlin Game is “part of a multi-year commitment to the games” in the capital. The commitment to multi-year games in the press release should make fans happy, because so far the NFL had only committed to one game per season in Germany until 2025.
NFL extends commitment in Germany until 2029
Before the Munich Game in November, NFL Germany boss Alexander Steinforth had already indicated that the league wanted to play games in Germany beyond 2025. Now he clarified this star: “We are pleased to be further expanding our presence in Germany with a game in the capital in 2025 – and a long-term plan that extends into 2029.” Berlin is known for its great sports history and is “made for the NFL”. However, the commitment to Berlin does not mean that one will not return to Frankfurt or Munich in the future, emphasized Steinforth.
“Germany has a rich tradition in American football, and the NFL has a long history with the city of Berlin,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the league’s press release. With almost 20 million fans in Germany, we are now returning to “open the next chapter in our relationship with Berlin”. It is not yet known which teams will play in the Olympic Stadium next year. With the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ten NFL teams hold the marketing rights for the German region. Carolina, Indianapolis, New England, New York, Seattle and Tampa Bay have already played games in Germany. It is therefore quite possible that one of the remaining four teams will play in the Olympic Stadium. The final schedule is expected to be published in the coming months.
Football enthusiasm: The game takes a deep look into America’s soul
In the NFL, football isn’t just played, it’s celebrated. When the home team, like the Kansas City Chiefs, takes the field, fireworks, cheerleaders and mascots are simply part of the game. Especially in the professional league, everyone is trying not to bring the current political turmoil into the stadiums. At Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the crowd is considered particularly diverse. Roger Goodell, the head of the NFL, has called for people to vote. That is important in a democracy. However, he did not recommend a party, which many celebrities in the USA usually do
© Chase Castor / star
The hype about the NFL in Germany is huge. The tickets for all four games played in Germany so far were sold out within minutes, and there were over a million ticket requests for each game. With around 75,000 seats, the Olympic Stadium is the third largest stadium in Germany after the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund and the Allianz Arena in Munich. Like the previous games, the Berlin Game will also be shown on RTL.
Internationally, the NFL will be positioning itself more broadly starting next season. Up to eight games will be played internationally. In addition to the game in Berlin, two games in London and, for the first time, a match in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium have been confirmed for 2025.
Transparency note: The star is part of RTL Deutschland.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
