Tag: International

Santiago Aldama talks contract extension, new coach, and more

Santiago Aldama, the Memphis Grizzlies’ versatile forward, has taken a significant leap in his fourth NBA season, embracing a larger role and showcasing his dynamic skillset as he nears restricted free agency. Standing at 6-foot-11, Aldama has …

Santiago Aldama, the Memphis Grizzlies’ versatile forward, has taken a significant leap in his fourth NBA season, embracing a larger role and showcasing his dynamic skillset as he nears restricted free agency. Standing at 6-foot-11, Aldama has thrived with increased offensive freedom, often playing as a hybrid forward or even a wing despite his near-seven-foot frame.

In a recent interview with HoopsHype, Aldama discussed his journey, the impact of international play, and the coaching shift to Tuomas Iisalo.

Broncos welcome ‘very possible’ scenario of international game in 2025

Broncos owner Greg Penner welcomes the “very possible” scenario of playing as a “road” team in an international game in 2025.

NFL teams are required to play at least one international game once every eight years. The Denver Broncos last played abroad in 2022 (a 21-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London), so they are not required to play overseas again before 2029.

However, the Broncos could still agree to play an international game in 2025, potentially as an away team. Team owner and chief executive officer addressed the possibility of an international game during his end-of-season press conference earlier this week.

“This isn’t one of our [mandatory] years,” Penner said Wednesday. “You have a cycle with the league. I think it’s about every eight years that we’re required to play one of our home games [abroad]. This isn’t one of those years for us, but there are some games, away games of ours, and those teams you’ve seen are the Jets and the Colts. So it’s very possible we end up playing in a game in London or Berlin.

“I think Sean [Payton] has a great approach to these things which is, ‘That’s an opportunity for the team to have some time to bond in a different way.’ You saw that with the team this year at the Greenbrier, which I think was helpful for the team as really building a young group and a culture. We’d welcome that if we have the opportunity to do it.”

As Penner noted, Denver’s list of 2025 opponents includes road games against the Jets and Colts, who are set to “host” games in London and Berlin, respectively, during the 2025 season. That makes the Broncos candidates for both of those games.

In addition to playing in England and Germany, the NFL is also expected to play games in Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Ireland this fall.

The Pittsburgh Steelers — who are not among Denver’s 2025 opponents — are expected to be the “home” team for the Ireland game. The Miami Dolphins (also not a Broncos 2025 opponent) were just announced as “hosts” for the Spain game this morning.

Meanwhile, there have been unconfirmed reports that the Houston Texans will be the “home” team for a Mexico game this fall. Denver does have a road game against the Texans in 2025, and at least one Mexican outlet has suggested that the Broncos could play south of the border next season.

There have been no credible reports of the “home” team for the Brazil game yet, but the NFL has confirmed it plans to play another game in South America in 2025.

To to recap: Denver is unlikely to play in Ireland or Spain next season. England and Germany are confirmed possibilities while Mexico and Brazil home teams are still to-be-announced. We should find out more info in the coming weeks as the NFL continues unveiling the 2025 international slate.

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Broncos are candidates for an international game in 2025

The Broncos are potential candidates for London (@ Jets) and Berlin (@ Colts) games in 2025. Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Ireland are TBA.

The Denver Broncos are candidates to play in one of the NFL’s international games next season.

Last week, the NFL announced that the New York Jets will “host” a game in London next season. Because the Broncos are one of the Jets’ “road” opponents next fall, Denver is in contention for that London game.

This week, the league announced that the Indianapolis Colts will be the “home” team for a game in Berlin in 2025. Indy is also on the Broncos’ list of “away” games, so Denver is also a candidate to play in Germany.

The NFL has not yet announced what clubs will be the “home” teams for potential international games in Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Ireland. The Broncos figure to be a strong candidate to eventually “host” a game in Mexico, which is the team’s designated international market.

There have been rumblings that the Miami Dolphins will play in Spain and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play in Ireland, but official announcements are yet to come. Denver’s list of 2025 opponents does not include the Dolphins or Steelers.

We already know the Broncos are a candidate for London and Berlin. We’ll find out in the coming weeks if any other teams on Denver’s schedule are set to host international games in 2025. The complete schedule is expected to be announced in May.

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Broncos will likely play an international game within the next 2 years

The Broncos appear poised to play an international game within the next two seasons, with Mexico the team’s most likely destination.

During an interview on “NFL GameDay” on Sunday morning, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league aims to play eight international games during the 2025 NFL season.

Goodell said the NFL will “certainly” return to Germany and the United Kingdom and “definitely” play in Spain next fall. The league “expects” to return to Mexico City and Brasil, and they are looking into potentially playing a game in Ireland.

If there are no repeat teams, eight games would feature 16 clubs on the international schedule in 2025. If that format continues and the NFL balances the schedule evenly, every team would play an international game every other season.

That means the Denver Broncos will likely play an international game in either 2025 or 2026. The Broncos’ most likely destination is Mexico, the team’s designated “International Home Market Area.” The NFL prefers teams to play in their IHMA, so Denver is poised to play in Mexico.

The league typically announces teams for international games before the full schedule release in the spring. Stay tuned. The NFL could begin announcing international teams for the 2025 slate as early as January.

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Broncos won’t play an international game in 2024

The Broncos won’t have an international game in 2024. Denver will host eight games and the Broncos will play nine road games stateside.

We already know the Denver Broncos’ upcoming opponents, and we’ll find out the team’s full 2024 schedule with dates and times in May.

We also know that the Broncos will not play abroad this fall.

The NFL has announced the “home” teams for the five international games in 2024 and none of them are set to host Denver next season.

The Philadelphia Eagles (Brazil), Chicago Bears (England), Minnesota Vikings (England), Jacksonville Jaguars (England) and Carolina Panthers (Germany) will “host” games outside the United States this fall.

The Broncos do have the Panthers on their list of 2024 opponents, but that game will be played at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. So the Broncos won’t have an international game during the 2024 season.

Denver last played abroad in 2022 when they defeated the Jaguars 21-17 at Wembley Stadium in London. Each NFL team is required to play at least one international game every eight years. Beginning in 2025, up to eight international games will be scheduled each season. That would involve 16 teams, giving half the league an international game each year.

So the Broncos will likely have another international game in the not-too-distant future, and Mexico is the most likely location. The NFL won’t play in Mexico in 2024 due to construction at Estadio Azteca. Once those renovations are complete, Denver will be a strong candidate to play in Mexico. This year, though, all of the team’s games will be played in the USA.

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NFL will play in Brazil in 2024 — could the Broncos play in the game?

The NFL will play a game in Brazil next season. Could the Broncos play in that game?

For the first time in NFL history, the league will play a regular season game in South America next fall.

The NFL announced Wednesday that a game will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil in 2024. The stadium with a 68,727 capacity previously hosted World Cup games in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

The league will announce five “home” teams for its 2024 international schedule early next year, presumably in January. The NFL prefers (but does not require) “home” teams to play in their designated “Global Markets Program” country.

Only one team — the Miami Dolphins — has Brazil listed as their designated country, so the ‘Phins might be a decent bet to “host” the game at Corinthians Arena in 2024.

The Denver Broncos have Mexico listed as their international market, but the team could be a “road” team for an international game in a different country. The Broncos will face the same-place finisher in the AFC East on the road in 2024, so it’s possible that Miami could be on Denver’s 2024 schedule.

Right now, the Broncos are in second place in the AFC West. The corresponding team in the AFC East right now is the Buffalo Bills. For Denver and the Dolphins to finish in the same spot in their respective divisions (barring something crazy), the Broncos would have to win the AFC West or Miami would have to finish in second place in the AFC East.

As things stand now, Denver seems unlikely to play in Brazil next season. But the NFL plans to expand from four international games in 2024 to eight international games in 2025. Once that happens, half the league will play an international game every season (unless a team volunteers for more than one game). So starting in 2025, it seems likely that most NFL teams will have an international game at least once every other season.

So after playing in London, England in 2022, the Broncos seem likely to play another international game in the not-too-distant future. It might not be in Brazil, but Denver will play outside the United States again. Mexico seemingly remains the team’s most likely destination.

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Behind enemy lines: Breaking down Chiefs’ Week 9 matchup vs. Miami with Dolphins Wire

We sat down with #Dolphins Wire editor Mike Masala to break down the #Chiefs’ Week 9 matchup against Miami.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 matchup against the Miami Dolphins has all the makings of an instant classic. Both teams faced drastically different expectations entering their 2023 campaigns, and while they are tied by record at this juncture of the season, Miami seems to have a bit more momentum than Kansas City.

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, though, and neither team is taking the other lightly heading into the highly anticipated international meeting, which is set to take place in Frankfurt, Germany.

We sat down with Mike Masala, managing editor of Dolphins Wire, to get his thoughts on Miami’s season to this point. His answers to our questions made for invaluable context that every fan should know ahead of the marquee matchup.

Go behind enemy lines with us to see just how confident Masala is in the Dolphins’ abilities this season, and what Miami will bring to the table in this game:

LOOK: Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to wear swanky custom cleats vs. Dolphins

Rashee Rice will wear swanky custom cleats for the #Chiefs’ international matchup against the #Dolphins in Germany.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ receiving corps will look to bounce back against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 after laying an egg against the Denver Broncos. Rookie wideout Rashee Rice is expected to play a major role in Kansas City’s offense in the Chiefs’ international matchup in Germany on Sunday and will sport some swanky custom cleats for the occasion.

The footwear features motifs of both the American and German flags and is sure to be a hit with the audience attending the highly anticipated matchup in Frankfurt.

Though the cleats themselves may not give Rice an edge over his opponents on the gridiron, he will certainly look good running his routes in them as Kansas City attempts to secure their seventh win of the 2023 season.

With any luck, Rice may be able to win over an international audience with his new boots and set career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns to lift the Chiefs to victory.

NFL to expand practice squads in 2024 with emphasis on international players

The NFL announced plans to expand practice squads in 2024 with an emphasis on international players, something the Saints have taken advantage of before:

We’re continuing to see an emphasis on the NFL’s overseas outreach with the league announcing a plan to expand practice squads in 2024 — opening a 17th spot on every team’s practice squad for an international player. Expect the New Orleans Saints to embrace this opportunity.

The Saints have participated in the NFL International Pathway program before, having developed British defensive end Alex Jenkins on their practice squad for a few years; he last played for the New York Giants in 2019 but was waived with an injury settlement, and he has been out of football since. He didn’t start out on the practice squad, but Nigerian defensive tackle David Onyemata was one of the Saints’ best players in recent years after the team found him while scouting Canadian college football prospects.

Still, other players have traveled from abroad to find success in the NFL. Former Carolina Panthers defensive end Efe Obada was another player who benefited from the NFL International Pathway opportunity, developing into a playmaker with 15 career sacks and a couple of takeaways to his credit; the program was piloted with NFC South teams back in 2017.

Expect more efforts from the NFL to expand their international brand in the years ahead. The league is playing more games in other countries and looking to cultivate stronger followings abroad, and it feels like only a matter of time until the Saints kick off a game in France as the country’s exclusive NFL marketing presence.

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2023 Basketball World Cup: The full rosters

Starting on August 25, 32 National Teams will vie for the World Cup in Japan, Philippines, and Indonesia. The list of teams includes powerhouses like the United States and Spain, as well as newcomers such as South Sudan or Cape Verde. Here’s the …

Starting on August 25, 32 National Teams will vie for the World Cup in Japan, Philippines, and Indonesia. The list of teams includes powerhouses like the United States and Spain, as well as newcomers such as South Sudan or Cape Verde.

Here’s the full list of players fighting for gold, which includes 57 current NBA players.