Tag: Munich

Saints could play International Series game in Germany in 2024

The Saints could play an International Series game with the Panthers in Germany in 2024. Divisional matchups are uncommon, but not unheard of:

There’s a chance the New Orleans Saints could fly overseas again in 2024. The NFL announced Monday that five games will be played in its International Series next season, with the Carolina Panthers hosting one of them. The Saints are not scheduled to travel for games against the other four hosts, but they’ll go to Carolina as part of the annual two-game NFC South rivalry series.

Or, maybe, they’ll go to Germany. The Panthers will play a home game at Munich’s Allianz Arena. New Orleans will not lose another home game to the International Series slate until 2030, but that doesn’t mean they’re prevented from making the trip as visitors. And this being an NFC South feature won’t stop the NFL from assigning them to go.

Divisional matchups are uncommon in overseas games, but they aren’t as rare as you’d think. Of the 43 NFL games played abroad, six have pitted divisional opponents.

In 2022 the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. There were three games featuring divisional rivals in the 2019 season, including the Carolina Panthers’ matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London (the Panthers were nominal visitors). Here’s the full list of divisional games in the International Series:

  • 2015: New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins (AFC East)
  • 2017: Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams (NFC West)
  • 2019: Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South)
  • 2019: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South)
  • 2019: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers (AFC West)
  • 2022: San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West)

The Saints have played three games in the International Series since it kicked off back in 2007: They won twice at Wembley Stadium in London, beating the San Diego Chargers in 2008 and shutting out the Miami Dolphins in 2017, but they lost a close one to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022.

We’ll have to wait and see whether the Saints are making a trip to Germany this year. We learned in early May 2022 that the Saints would kick off with the Vikings in London. The NFL typically unveils the full schedule in May. And watch out for sketchy reports — German tabloids last year ran with the story that the Saints would be visiting for a game with the New England Patriots, but it didn’t pan out. So maybe wait to plan your trip.

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NFL targeting Brazil for a 2024 International Series game

The NFL is targeting Brazil for a 2024 International Series game. Which stadium could play host? Would you want the Saints to make the trip?

Now this is interesting. Multiple reports from NFL ownership meetings in Dallas say the league’s decision-makers will be voting on a potential 2024 regular season game to be played in Brazil, with a verdict coming as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made the league’s International Series a point of emphasis on his annual agenda — we may never see a Super Bowl played overseas or have an NFL team headquartered outside America, but Goodell clearly sees room for expansion in international markets. After kicking off games in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Mexico, he’s looking to Brazil as the next hotspot in 2024 (plus Spain in 2025, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports).

So where could that game be played? Venues used for recent international NFL games include London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (seating over 60,000) and Wembley Stadium (seating more than 85,000), Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca (capacity for 78,000 seats) as well as Germany’s stadiums in Munich (the 69,000-seat Allianz Arena) and Frankfurt (Deutsche Bank Park, seating about 51,000).

That’s an average capacity of about 68,600 seats. If that’s in the ballpark of what the NFL is looking for in a venue, São Paulo has one clear option: the Estadio do Morumbi (which opened in 1960, easily seating 66,000). The city is also home to the Arena Corinthians (opened in 2014, seating 49,000) and Estádio Prudentão (built in 1982, seating 45,000) as alternative sites.

Now, what you’re really here for: could the Saints be involved? The answer to that is a soft “maybe.” New Orleans will not lose another home game to an international game in 2024 after doing so in 2022’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in London. NFL ownership previously agreed that every team would play a “home” game overseas once every eight years, but they’re voting soon on whether to shorten that to a four-year gap, so the Saints could make the trip as visitors.

An NFC team is expected to host the game in Brazil (if approved by league ownership), per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, and the Saints have away games scheduled in 2024 with the following opponents in their conference:

  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • New York Giants
  • Same-place NFC North team (right now, the Green Bay Packers)

We can rule out the Packers, Falcons, and Buccaneers because they have “hosted” international games in recent years, leaving the Panthers, Cowboys, and Giants as options to host. We should acknowledge the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears are eligible to host the game in Brazil if the Saints end up playing a difference NFC North team in 2024, depending on how the final divisional standings shake out.

But there’s another factor to consider: the NFL’s international marketing rights for Brazil have been awarded to just one team, the Miami Dolphins. It’s likely they would want the Dolphins to be involved because of that (or at least, the Dolphins would want to be involved), even if they’re playing as visitors. Miami has made a number of overseas appearances including a game in Frankfurt this year. They’re a likelier fit than the Saints.

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Pete Carroll, Seahawks are ‘wide open’ to another international game

Despite the loss to the Buccaneers in Munich, Germany, Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks are “wide open” to another international game.

The Seattle Seahawks might have lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Germany on Sunday but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t do the whole thing over again.

“If the league gives us a chance to do it, we’ll be wide open for it,” coach Pete Carroll said after the game. “This was a great event for us. Having it come the week before the bye is really valuable. It’s a total different experience if you didn’t have that. I wouldn’t want to do that if it wasn’t with the bye. But it’s just competitively such a challenge.

“Yeah, we’re wide open.”

Week 10 at Allianz Arena in Munich marked the first regular-season game for the NFL and the Seahawks, but it wasn’t Seattle’s first international matchup. The Seahawks had squared off against the Raiders in London in 2018 and experienced similar hospitality.

“I would love for us to be able to extend the relationship with the fans here in Germany, they were great to us,” Carroll continued. “It’s just as classy as it could possibly be. Everything about it was first class. Let me say this. We were with a lot of people that were part of the group moving us around, security people and all that. The kindness was obvious. People were so good to us and so thoughtful and ahead of everything and really made this a really wonderful trip.”

Carroll and his Seahawks should have plenty of time to catch up on some well-deserved sleep over the bye week.

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WATCH: Highlights from Seahawks vs. Buccaneers Week 10

Catch all the highlights from the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich, Germany in Week 10 of the regular season.

The Seattle Seahawks lost a tough one Sunday morning when they fell 21-16 to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich, Germany.

If you missed any of the action, you can catch the highlights below.

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Seahawks at Buccaneers: Week 10 preview and prediction

Before the season started, many picked the Buccaneers to be among the shortlist of NFC favorites.

Guten Morgen, Seahawks fans. Tomorrow your team is playing the first ever NFL game in Germany! There they will take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Part of what makes the NFL the unstoppable force in American media it is, is the unpredictability of the sport. No game this weekend better encapsulates this nature than the Seahawks vs Buccaneers. Before the season started, many picked the Buccaneers to be among the shortlist of NFC favorites, if not perhaps THE favorite to win the conference. Seattle, on the other hand, was considered to be in contention for a top five draft pick.

But that is why you play the game.

The Seahawks are in first place in the NFC West at 6-3 and are riding a four-game win streak of dominant football. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has easily been one of the biggest disappointments. The Bucs are in first place in their division as well, but only by virtue of the rest of the NFC South being atrocious. Tampa is 4-5, while no other team in the south are above 4-6.

The biggest issue facing the Bucs has been their dreadful offense. Quarterback Tom Brady has played well but their inability to score has become a terrible concern. Had it not been for more classic late game heroics to score a touchdown in the final minute last week to escape with a 16-13 win, Tampa would be in the midst of a four-game losing streak – the first for Brady since the 2002 season.

Make no mistake, the Buccaneers are not to be trifled with. They have proven they can still be deadly, especially with the GOAT still taking snaps. Defensively, Tampa appears to be the toughest matchup on paper the Seahawks have faced since San Francisco. Seattle will need to play a clean game in order to move the ball.

However, I have full faith the Seahawks are capable of doing so. Currently, the Buccaneers are favored in the betting marked by three points. I for the life of me cannot fathom what Tampa has show this year to suggest they are a better team than Seattle. Expect a close showdown, but Seattle prevailing late… er, early, time zone speaking.

Prediction: Seahawks over Buccaneers, 21-17.

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WATCH: Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview Week 10

Here’s everything you need to know when the Seattle Seahawks play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 of the 2022 season in Munich, Germany.

After a long night of travel, the Seattle Seahawks have finally landed in Germany and are already prepping before taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich in Week 10.

Below is a preview of everything you need to know ahead of kickoff, which is scheduled for 6:30 am PT on Sunday.

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Watch: Pete Carroll, Seahawks players talk trip to Germany

The Seahawks have landed in Munich and just wrapped up their second practice of the week preparing for the Buccaneers.

The Seahawks have landed in Munich and just wrapped up their second practice of the week preparing for the Buccaneers.

After practice, coach Pete Carroll and a few key players spoke with the media about their international trip and Sunday’s game. Here are a few clips from those press conferences.

Seahawks LB Aaron Donkor on game in Munich: ‘It’s going to be a party’

Seahawks German linebacker Aaron Donkor is hoping to see the field in front of his “home” crowd when Seattle plays in Munich in Week 10.

German linebacker Aaron Donkor has been with the Seattle Seahawks for over a year and a half now, first joining the team as a participant in the International Player Pathway Program. He’s hoping this week he gets to make his NFL debut in front of his “home” crowd when the Seahawks take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich.

Donkor spoke to the media Wednesday before the Seahawks departed and he was asked about the reception the club might have in his home country.

“German fans are going to embrace us and love us,” Donkor told reporters. “I’m not sure if they know who to root for, but we’ll make sure they are with us when we step on that field. So, that’s the goal.”

Donkor and his teammates know that this is a work trip, but there should be a little time to sneak in some fun as well.

“I feel like the Germans are going to do their thing” Donkor continued. “They are great hosts. They have been preparing and organizing and making sure everything is set up. It’s going to be a party.

“I already know they are excited and it’s going to be a Super Bowl in every sense of the words.”

While the party will last all week, the game is set for a 6:30 am PT kickoff on Sunday.

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Seahawks honored to play in the 1st-ever NFL game in Germany

Coach Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks are honored to be one of two teams to play in the first-ever NFL game in Germany this week.

The Seattle Seahawks will be one of two teams to play in the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Germany when they square off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 at Allianz Arena in Munich.

Coach Pete Carroll talked about the magnitude of the opportunity on Monday.

“Sure, and again, I’ll throw this number around, somebody said that there have been three million requests for tickets, which is a staggering number of requests,” Carroll said. “I can’t imagine, but they are excited, they are really pumped up about it. We are going to try and put on a show, make them see our football, and experience it in a way they never have before.

“It’s an honor to do that and we will respect the heck out of every aspect of this.”

As far as travel goes, the Seahawks are set to cross 34 time zones this year when they fly 29,446 miles throughout the 2022 season. Carroll is counting on the previous experience gained from the 2018 matchup in London, for reference.

“We have a big travel thing to endure, but so do they,” Carroll explained. “It’s a bit of a competition in that regard, to put all of the elements that it takes to get this whole thing on the move, transfer us to a new country, and figure it out. We have such a great group around us and people that can function so well together and they are so well organized that it’s not going to be a big deal.

“We are just going to play another away game.”

The Seahawks plan to hit the road following Wednesday’s practice.

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Seahawks, Buccaneers tickets for Munich game a hot commodity

Naturally, everyone is excited for a chance to see Seattle’s legendary backup tight end Will Dissly in action.

The Seahawks will be playing in the second international game in franchise history this coming season. In Week 10 they are scheduled to travel to Munich, Germany to take on the Buccaneers. As one might expect, tickets for that particular game are selling like hotcakes.

Tickets went on sale overnight and fans quickly found themselves in a very long line. At one point there were over 630,000 people in the queue.

Naturally, everyone is excited for a chance to see Seattle’s legendary backup tight end Will Dissly in action.

The game will be on Sunday, November 13 and begins at 6:30 am Pacific Time.

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