Key Takeaways:
- Global expansion requires more than international games: rights holders need relevant, locally resonant content to turn awareness into lasting fandom across markets.
- Giving teams greater digital flexibility can strengthen international growth, enabling them to tell more stories, use more channels, and build direct relationships with fans abroad.
- AI-powered content creation makes global storytelling scalable, transforming live footage into localized, platform-ready formats that help teams stay relevant across international markets.
Much of the talk in the weeks leading up to the 2026 NFL season, which kicks off tomorrow, revolved around the league’s international expansion plans.
For good reason, too. The NFL will play a record nine games on foreign soil this season – two more than in 2025 and four more than in 2024. Week 1 includes the first-ever regular-season game in Australia, as the Los Angeles Rams face the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground. And in addition to Melbourne, the NFL will make its debut in two of the world’s iconic cities: Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
Then there’s Roger Goodell’s statement. In a recent interview with German television news channel ntv, the Commissioner said it’s only a matter of time until the league takes the next expansion step. “At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” said Goodell. “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.”
While that day may be a few years off, one thing has become clear: the NFL has recognized that playing games in other countries isn’t enough to engage and activate international fans year-round. Doing that requires a slew of additional tactics, chief among them building fandom for its current teams.
From Awareness to Fandom
Creating fandom from scratch is anything but easy. The NFL’s Global Markets Program (GMP), which grants teams marketing rights to specific countries, has advanced the ball significantly in that regard. Since its launch in 2022, all 32 teams have joined the GMP, using grassroots initiatives such as watch parties, youth camps, and equipment stations in public spaces to raise brand awareness in their respective foreign markets.
With more than 240 million fans worldwide, the brand awareness play has yielded results. The question now is how to take it to the next level.
The answer may lie in a recent industry report revealing that American football has a substantial following in Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, India, Germany, Brazil, and the UK and that these fans are hungry for more content.
Key findings include:
- 91% of American football fans engage with additional sports content beyond live games. 69% of them consume additional content weekly.
- 42% of American football fans consume video highlights – more than in any other sport.
- 79% of American football fans use mobile sports apps, with 25% using official team apps.
Expanding the Digital Playbook
Recognizing this, the NFL recently approved a series of changes to its digital rights policies. The most notable changes revolve around what franchises can do in terms of distributing digital content, providing content teams with more flexibility in storytelling. This newfound flexibility includes, for example, the ability to post game highlights on two additional social media platforms – TikTok and Threads – and distribute more original content starting this season.
“Our international goals are clear: bring our game to more fans globally and develop lasting fandom,” said Gerrit Meier, the managing director and head of NFL International. “Ultimately, our vision is for the NFL to be not just America’s most popular sport, but a global sports property for fans everywhere.”
Accelerating Creation and Distribution
In an age when most big sports properties attempt to expand into new markets, hosting games overseas is just the first step. Rights holders need to give international fans reasons to keep coming back, using relevant, locally resonant content to turn awareness into familiarity and, ultimately, fandom. The more consistently teams can show up across the channels fans already use, the stronger those connections become.
AI-powered content creation platforms can make that approach scalable, instantly turning live footage into highlights, clips, behind-the-scenes stories, and other formats tailored to different fans. By accelerating both creation and distribution, they give rights holders the tools to build international fandom at the speed global audiences expect. Follow that playbook, and when NFL teams finally arrive abroad, the existing ones may already have home-field advantage.
Actionable Insights:
- Give teams or properties greater publishing flexibility so they can tailor content to the platforms and audiences that matter most in each market.
- Build a consistent content pipeline: turn every live event into highlights, clips, and behind-the-scenes stories designed for multiple platforms and local audiences.
- Use AI to scale and localize production, adapting the same live moments into different formats, languages, and distribution channels without slowing down the content cycle.
