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02/04 05:00 CST Is NFL pushing boundaries on international games? Australia trip could test limits of global growth Is NFL pushing boundaries on international games? Australia trip could test limits of global growth By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) --- The Los Angeles Rams landed in London just 30 hours before kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars in October. That won't fly when they play in Australia next season. The Melbourne game is part of a multiyear commitment and represents a new frontier for the NFL's aggressive international plan. The league has never staged a regular-season game so far from home, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has already said Asia will follow "shortly thereafter." Goodell hopes to eventually stage 16 games per season internationally --- an escalation that could be facilitated if the league moves to an 18-game NFL season. The current maximum number of international games allowed per season is 10 under the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association. Ahead of the Super Bowl, the league announced Paris as a new host as well as a return to Madrid and Mexico City for next season. As of Monday, there are a record-high nine international games scheduled for 2026. But not everyone is as enthusiastic as Goodell about the league's global ambitions. There are questions about scheduling, the risks to players as the air miles add up, and the quality of play. "The voice of the players and what's in their best interests come from our membership, not management," NFLPA media relations director Brandon Parker told The Associated Press. "That's why it's imperative for the union to be a partner in assessing and making decisions on all aspects of the international player experience. "Any sort of expansion must be balanced against how it impacts players' bodies along with health and safety data." An 18-game schedule likely would include adding a second bye week and reducing the number of preseason games to two --- all of which would need to be agreed on between the league and the NFLPA. The current labor deal runs through the 2030 season.

Paris and Rio de Janeiro also in 2026 The NFL has added at least one new host city each season since 2022, when Munich joined the ranks. The following year it was another German city --- Frankfurt. Brazil's Sao Paulo became a host in 2024, and this season saw debuts for Dublin, Berlin and Madrid as the NFL staged seven regular-season games abroad --- a record that will be eclipsed next season. For 2026, three more first-timers --- Paris, Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro --- join Munich, Madrid, Mexico City and old stalwart London --- to bring the international lineup to nine games. The league said London is currently scheduled to host three games. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosts two games each year, apart from the Jacksonville Jaguars' arrangement with Wembley Stadium. The Jags have the option of playing two home game internationally in 2026 because of their stadium renovation project. The labor agreement's 10-game limit on international games includes an exception for stadium construction and renovations. The Paris game will feature the New Orleans Saints and will be held at the 80,000-capacity Stade de France. Goodell had previously confirmed --- and the league made official Monday --- a return to Mexico City now that Azteca Stadium has been renovated ahead of the World Cup. The Dallas Cowboys expect to play at Azteca, team owner Jerry Jones said in September.

Calendar concerns A typical flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne is nearly 16 hours, "which is about as challenging as it gets from a body clock perspective," said Tom Brownlee, associate professor in Applied Sport Sciences at the University of Birmingham. The Australia game --- at the 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground --- is expected to be Week 1 and raises the unusual prospect of the NFL starting its season before Labor Day, which falls on Sept. 7. It could be as early as the Wednesday or Thursday before the federal holiday. "Players still have to adjust several times," Brownlee said. "They prepare in the U.S., then try to function normally in Australia, and then have to readjust again on the way home before their next game. That second adjustment is often overlooked but can be just as difficult." Brownlee, who formerly worked at Premier League club Liverpool, said gameday effects of long-haul travel can include "slower reaction times, reduced sharpness or feeling heavier than normal." The NFLPA has also raised concerns about field conditions for international games. Parker, the union spokesman, said players "appreciate the global stage" but expect that "proper travel standards, working conditions, scheduling and protections must be in place to maximize player recovery and performance." In a statement, the NFL said the health and safety of players "is always a priority no matter where we play." "For international games, the league's football operations team works alongside club operations staff and local support on the ground in markets to ensure every detail is considered and planned for to optimize the traveling and playing experience for all involved," the league said.

Is it worth it? The European games are timed to kick off Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, which is 6:30 a.m. Pacific. The league could eventually sell it as a new broadcast window. The six international games that were on NFL Network this season averaged 6.2 million viewers (TV and digital), which doesn't include over-the-air stations in the markets of the two teams playing. During the 2025 regular season, the NFL averaged 18.7 million viewers per game. "I don't see the economic sense of sacrificing US audiences on this scale," said Stefan Szymanski, a University of Michigan professor of sport management. The sport also can be hard to understand for new audiences, he added. "By contrast, the NBA has a much better chance of making it internationally," he said. Teams have mostly bought into the league's plans, though Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam said in October that if Goodell was sitting in front of him "I'd tell him, I would much rather play at home in Cleveland than travel all the way over to London." There's no shortage of interest among the international fans and host cities, however. International games typically sell out quickly and game-week events bring mini-Super Bowl vibes to locations where soccer usually dominates the sports landscape.

Asia and Middle East in focus League officials haven't specified which Asian countries they are exploring as future hosts. Tokyo has staged preseason games. China is one of the eight countries outside the United States where the NFL has an office. The NFL has looked at the United Arab Emirates. Gerrit Meier, managing director and head of NFL international, told the " Leaders Worth Knowing " podcast the Middle East "is very, very attractive for us." "Our commitment is that we will go into more markets, more countries, more continents as we move forward," Meier said. "Again, we're just at the beginning of our global expansion." ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL