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Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer
The NFL has designated the four teams that will give up a home game in 2024 and host a game in Europe instead, the league announced Thursday.
The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars will each host a game in London, while the Carolina Panthers will host a game in Munich. Opponents and dates will be announced along with the rest of the NFL schedule in the spring.
The NFL will not play in Mexico City due to renovations at Estadio Azteca. But the league previously announced plans to play a 2024 game at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil. The NFL has not announced either team for that matchup.
The Bears and Vikings will each play their game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the Jaguars will return to Wembley Stadium as part of their ongoing commitment to play in the United Kingdom. The Panthers’ game in Munich will be at Allianz Arena.
“Taking our game to more fans around the world is a major priority for the league and its 32 teams, and we are delighted to be returning to London and Munich in 2024,” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, league events and international, said in a statement.
When the NFL shifted to a 17-game regular season in 2021, it created a schedule formula that alternated nine and eight home games between NFC and AFC teams each year. Any team in the conference with nine home games is eligible to be designated to host an international game. The Jaguars, who are in the AFC, have a separate agreement to host home games in London.
NFL owners agreed last year to increase the limit of annual international games to eight, beginning in the 2025 season.
The Bears, Vikings and Jaguars all have international marketing rights in the United Kingdom, under the NFL’s global market program, while the Panthers maintain rights in Germany.
Source: www.espn.com