Tag: Germany

Chiefs awarded international marketing rights for Austria, Switzerland

The #Chiefs were awarded marketing rights for Austria and Switzerland on Tuesday as part of the NFL’s effort to expand internationally

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to make a huge impact on the European market for the NFL after being awarded international marketing rights for Austria and Switzerland on Tuesday.

The announcement was made just days before the 2023 NFL draft is set to take place in Kansas City and will have a major effect on the team’s international reach after their Super Bowl championship in February.

Chiefs president Mark Donovan issued a statement in the team’s release about the new rights, noting that Kansas City is primed to do big things in the international market in the coming years.

“We have committed a lot of energy and effort into growing the Chiefs brand – as well as helping grow the NFL – internationally, and today’s development is going to continue to allow us to invest in European markets,” Donovan explained in his statement.

“The game this season in Germany, much like our games in London and Mexico City, will create amazing opportunities for our fans. Given our history, we think we’re uniquely positioned to take advantage of these expanded commercial and fan development rights in Austria and Switzerland, and we can’t wait to get started.”

The league’s decision to give the Super Bowl champions rights to an expanded market in Europe is a no-brainer, especially given that the Chiefs are already heavily involved in the international marketing program. In 2021, Kansas City was awarded rights to Germany and Mexico as part of the NFL’s initial expansion into markets outside of the United States, and the team is set to play its first game in Munich this season against the Chicago Bears.

Whether games will be played in Austria or Switzerland in the coming years is unknown at this point, but the sheer volume of potential fans in the Chiefs’ new sphere of influence should help the team gain traction across the pond.

Report: Chiefs to play Bears in Germany in 2023

The #Chiefs are set to play a game in Germany in 2023 and a new report says their opponent will be the #Bears.

The NFL previously announced that the Kansas City Chiefs would be playing a home game in Germany in the 2023 NFL season. Now, there is a report on their opponent for that game.

According to ESPN Radio and NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan, the Chicago Bears will be the Chiefs’ opponent when they head to Germany next season. There weren’t any specific details revealed in the report, such as an exact date, time and whether it’ll be played in Frankfurt or Munich, but the report does indicate that Chicago will be the opponent for Kansas City.

“In addition, I have learned the Bears and Chiefs are expected to play in Germany next season,” Kaplan said in a YouTube clip. “So, the Bears and Justin Fields get Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champs. Again, they’re expected to play next fall in Germany.”

This will be an exciting matchup for international fans with a number of intriguing storylines. You have a team on the rise in the NFC against an AFC powerhouse. The quarterback matchup alone should create plenty of intrigue among fans. There are also coaching and front office, elements at play that could add to the competition. The Bears are also being rebuilt by former Chiefs front office executive Ryan Poles. Kansas City’s new offensive coordinator is Matt Nagy, who was head coach in Chicago until he was fired following the 2021 NFL season.

The Bears currently lead the all-time series against Kansas City 7-6, so the Chiefs will have a chance to even the score this time around.

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Happy trails Mesut Ozil, the German king of assists

The legendary playmaker has retired at the age of 34

Former Real Madrid and Arsenal star Mesut Özil has announced his retirement at age 34.

Özil spent the final three seasons of his career in Turkey, signing with İstanbul Başakşehir last summer before injuries limited him to just seven appearances this season.

The playmaker was best known for his time at Madrid and Arsenal in his club career, and for an international career with Germany that saw him earn 92 caps and lift the World Cup in 2014.

“After thoughtful consideration, I’m announcing my immediate retirement from professional football,” Özil wrote in an announcement on Twitter.

“I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity. But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it’s become more and more clear that it’s time to leave the big stage of football.

“It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions. I want to thank my clubs – Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal FC, Fenerbahçe, Başakşehir and the coaches who supported me, plus teammates who have become friends.”

Özil was one of the premier playmakers of his generation. After starring for Germany at the 2010 World Cup he earned a move to Real Madrid, where he would record at least 20 assists in each of his three seasons.

Arsenal paid a then club-record fee of $54.8 million for Özil in 2013. He would go on to score 33 league goals and add 54 assists during his time in north London, before he was frozen out by Mikel Arteta near the end of his Arsenal career.

Özil tallied 19 assists in the 2015-16 Premier League season, one shy of the league record.

In addition to the World Cup, Özil won plenty of silverware at the club level in his career, including cups in Germany, Spain and England, as well as the La Liga title.

In 2018, Özil retired from international duty for Germany due to what he said was “racism and disrespect” over his Turkish heritage.

Özil said he felt “German when we win” but like “an immigrant when we lose.”

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Will the Broncos play an international game in 2023?

Two teams on Broncos’ road schedule will “host” international games this year, but Denver seems more likely to play in Mexico after 2023.

The NFL announced five home teams for its 2023 international series on Thursday, and the Denver Broncos are not among the host teams.

The Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars will play “home” games in London with the Titans and Bills playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Jags playing at Wembley Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will “host” games in Germany, with the exact stadiums still to be announced.

The Broncos are scheduled to play two of those teams — the Chiefs and Bills — on the road next season, but Denver seems unlikely to play in England or Germany next fall.

The Broncos just played the Jaguars at Wembley in 2022 — winning 21-17 — and Denver seems unlikely to immediately return to London the following season. The Broncos also seem unlikely to play in Germany in 2023 after having Mexico set as their designated international market in 2021.

Mexico will not host an international game in 2023 because Estadio Azteca is undergoing renovations, but the NFL plans to return to Mexico City in the future, perhaps as early as 2024. Denver will play at least one more international game before 2029, and Mexico is the likeliest location.

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Could the Commanders play in Germany in 2023?

Could we see the Patriots vs. Commanders in Germany?

The NFL named the five teams who will “host” international games in 2023 on Thursday. Here is a list of the following teams:

  • New England Patriots
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • Tennessee Titans
  • Jacksonville Jaguars

The Bills, Jaguars and Titans will each play a game in London, while the Chiefs and Patriots will play in Germany. The NFL will announce the host city at a later date. The league has previously said Munich and Frankfurt would host games in the coming years.

Noticeably absent are the Washington Commanders. However, that doesn’t mean Washington will not head across the pond in 2023. The Bills and Patriots are on Washington’s 2023 schedule; however, the Commanders will host the Bills. That leaves the chance of a meeting with the Patriots in Germany.

The last time Washington played an international game was in 2016 against the Cincinnati Bengals in London, which ended in a 27-27 tie.

Saints could travel for a regular season game in Germany in 2023

The Saints traveled to England in 2022 to play the Vikings, and they could go abroad again in 2023 for a game with the Patriots in Germany:

This could be interesting. The New Orleans Saints traveled to England in 2022 to play the Minnesota Vikings during a nominal home game in London, and they could go abroad again in 2023 for a game with the New England Patriots in Germany — the NFL announced this week that the Patriots are one of five teams who will move home games overseas next season, playing either in Frankfurt or Munich. And the Saints are on their list of home opponents.

Of the five teams who will be hosting International Games matchups, the Saints are scheduled to play three of them; however, they’ll face off with both the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars in New Orleans, meaning their only opportunity to kick off in another country will be in that Patriots game. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills will also move home games overseas but neither team is on the Saints’ list of scheduled opponents for 2023.

So that’s something to watch out for, especially if you’re a Saints fan in Germany or a neighboring nation. Newly-introduced NFL rules require teams to move a home game abroad once every 8 years, but there’s no requirement for how often teams will travel as the “visiting” squad. New Orleans lost a home game last year for that Vikings tilt, so this 2023 Patriots game is in play for their role as visitors.

Last year, Germany hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena, the 75,000-seat home of FC Bayern Munich. The NFL has committed to hosting games in both Munich and Frankfurt over the next four years but it has not announced which city the Patriots (and their opponent, possibly New Orleans) will visit.

Now, how likely is it that the Saints will be picked to make the trip? That remains to be seen. They received just three prime-time night games in 2022, a single late-afternoon kickoff, and that early-morning (American time, at least) Vikings matchup. Unless they move mountains this offseason and energize the fanbase to draw a ton of media attention over the summer, odds are the NFL’s broadcast partners and schedule-makers will continue to be down on them. There are frankly more exciting teams to feature internationally, and with European fans having just gotten a look at the Saints in 2022, it feels unlikely they’ll be tabbed to fly out again in 2023. We’ll find out when the NFL announces its schedule in a few months.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid had perfect reaction to announcement of game in Germany in 2023

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s initial reaction to news of the team playing in Germany in 2023 was classic.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to Germany in 2023.

The team is burrowed in and focused on their upcoming divisional-round matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as they should be. Still, it was hard to avoid the news of the day that broke in the early morning hours.

During his afternoon media availability on Thursday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid was asked what he thought about the future trip overseas. While he hadn’t given it much consideration yet given the prep for the Jaguars, he answered in a way that only he could.

 “Listen, I haven’t thought about it,” Reid said. “I look forward to getting a bratwurst. I haven’t thought about it. We’re so focused in on this thing. That – that’s (Executive Vice President of Communications) Ted (Crews) and the front office that are doing that.”

Food is never too far out of mind for Reid, whether it’s BBQ, cheeseburgers or bratwurst we’re talking about. I’m sure that Reid will give the trip to Germany a bit more thought after the playoffs, but for now, this was about as perfect of an answer as you could possibly hope for.

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Ranking 5 likeliest opponents for Chiefs’ game in Germany in 2023

Our @goldmctNFL ranks the #Chiefs’ five likeliest opponents for their game in Germany in 2023.

The NFL announced on Thursday that the Kansas City Chiefs would be one of two teams playing a game in Germany in the 2023 regular season.

Additional game details with opponent, date and so on will be announced at a later date, but we do know that K.C. will play one of their nine home games in Germany in 2023. We also already know the nine opponents on the Chiefs’ home schedule in 2023.

There are some opponents that we can rule out for this game — the most notable being the Buffalo Bills. They’re one of three NFL teams slated to play in London in 2023, so the league would not assign them two international games. The league has also previously stated they don’t want division rivals playing in international series games, so don’t expect to see the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders or Los Angeles Chargers as the team’s opponent.

With all of that in mind, here’s a look at our thoughts on the likeliest opponent for Kansas City:

NFL announces Chiefs will play game in Germany in 2023

The #Chiefs are officially playing in one of two NFL games held in Germany in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs are officially set to play in one of two NFL games to be played in Germany in 2023.

Kansas City wasn’t selected to play an international series game in 2022, but this time around they’re going abroad. The league announced early Thursday morning that both the Chiefs and New England Patriots would get games in Germany in 2023 with the exact date, time, and opponent for the games to be announced by the NFL at a later date. Games will be played in host sites in either Frankfurt and Munich — with Munich being a strong possibility for K.C. given their ties to FC Bayern.

“We could not be more excited to participate in a Germany game and introduce more of the world to Chiefs Kingdom this fall,” said Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, via press release. “Our team and our fans have had incredible experiences in London and Mexico City as part of the International Series in the past, and we look forward to helping the NFL in its effort to continue growing the game in Germany.”

This game will mark the third-regular season game played on international turf in franchise history and the first since the team played the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca in November of 2019. The team’s first-ever international game took place against the Detroit Lions in London’s Wembley Stadium in 2015.

The franchise has a 2-0 record in the international games they’ve played in. Since 2011, the NFL has played 37 regular season games internationally, with all 32 teams having played overseas at least once.

“We are incredibly excited to put the Kansas City Chiefs and all of Chiefs Kingdom on the international stage with a Germany game in 2023,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said, via press release. “We’ve aggressively pursued this opportunity because we know how passionate German fans are about NFL football and we’re committed to the international growth of the game as well as our brand. We think we’ll be able to provide the right mix of opportunities for our existing Season Ticket Members and domestic fans while also creating unique experiences that will make this memorable for German fans as well.”

Back in December of 2021, the Chiefs were one of the teams awarded home marketing rights in Germany. They’ll play one of their nine home games in Germany as a result. You can find a list of potential opponents below.

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Germany was eliminated in the World Cup group stage again and fans roasted them for it

Germany is out early AGAIN.

Here’s a fun stat for you: The United States men’s national team has reached the knockout stage at the World Cup more times than Germany since 2014, and the USMNT didn’t even qualify for the tournament in 2018.

That’s the sad state that the German national team finds itself in right now.

For the second straight World Cup, the 2014 champions are out of the World Cup in the group stage. This time, the disappointment came despite Germany’s 4-2 win over Costa Rica in what ended up being a wild final day in Group E.

Germany went into the match needing a win and Spain victory over Japan (or a Germany win by two-plus goals and a Japan tie). What it got instead was a stunning Japan win over Spain that rendered the result against Costa Rica moot.

That Japan win came on the slightest of margins too.

There was a brief moment where Costa Rica and Japan both had leads, meaning that Germany and Spain would’ve been eliminated. But Germany responded to take the lead and save Spain’s World Cup hopes in the process.

The second straight early elimination at the World Cup will undoubtedly be seen as a massive failure in Germany, which has struggled to develop its next wave of world-class talent since that 2014 championship.

And as you can expect, fans weren’t exactly kind to Germany about this latest embarrassment on the world stage. Many also enjoyed those couple minutes that had Spain and Germany on the brink.