The National Football League (NFL) has announced details of the season’s games in Germany. Frankfurt was awarded the contract to host two matches – the NFL Frankfurt Games – in November at Deutsche Bank Park. The host teams are the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, who hold national marketing rights in Germany. The reigning Super Bowl champions from Kansas City, led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, will face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, 5 November. A week later, the Patriots will play the Indianapolis Colts on 12 November.
Frankfurt the football capital
American football has a long tradition in Frankfurt. From 1945, the sport was initially primarily played by US Army soldiers, and the first official game took place in Frankfurt’s Waldstadion that same year. The Frankfurter Löwen were Germany’s first American football club, founded in 1977. Since 1991 at the very latest, when the NFL branch NFL Europe was launched with the Frankfurt Galaxy, fans in Hesse and far beyond have come to love the sport, which is characterised by athleticism and tactics in equal measure. Eintracht Frankfurt have partnered with the Carolina Panthers NFL team since 2022. Interest in the NFL is growing steadily in Germany, where there are now an estimated 20 million fans. And now two NFL league games are coming to Frankfurt, the country’s football capital. From today onwards, an eye-catching oversized football will be visible at the Roßmarkt in Frankfurt to whet the appetite for the NFL Frankfurt Games.
Advance ticket sales will begin in the summer. In order to purchase tickets for the NFL Frankfurt Games, fans must first register at nfl.com/internationalgames. This is the only way for fans to access tickets for the NFL 2023 International Games. Registration only gives fans access to the sale and does not guarantee the purchase of a ticket.
Following a multi-stage application process, Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park and the Allianz Arena in Munich succeeded in becoming hosts of the NFL Germany Games. In addition to Frankfurt and Munich, further NFL International Series games will take place in London and Mexico City. The partnership in Germany is initially valid until 2025 and includes one additional game in both Munich and Frankfurt. The Patriots, the Chiefs, the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the four franchises with national marketing rights in Germany. As the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City is being renovated for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026, the game scheduled for that venue this year has now also been moved to Frankfurt – a stroke of luck for the metropolis on the Main, and one which has been warmly welcomed:
“It is a great honour for the city of Frankfurt am Main to be able to host two international NFL games in the stadium this November. The games will make Frankfurt even more attractive as a sports city. The city of Frankfurt and the region are looking forward to these two major events. The fact that the NFL is coming to Frankfurt is a major boost, especially for sport and the regional economy,” said Mike Josef, Head of the Sports Department of the City of Frankfurt.
Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, Major Events & International: “We can confirm today that the two games in Germany will be held in Frankfurt, a city with a great NFL tradition. We are excited to play both games in the stadium of Eintracht Frankfurt and to build on the incredible atmosphere of the last game in Munich.”
We put a lot of energy into the NFL application and are now putting just as much energy into the preparations for and implementation of the games in our home stadium.
Patrik Meyer, Managing Director of Eintracht Frankfurt Stadion GmbH
Patrik Meyer, Managing Director of Eintracht Frankfurt Stadion GmbH: “As part of the events at Deutsche Bank Park in addition to Eintracht Frankfurt’s home games, these NFL Frankfurt Games are extraordinary highlights that perfectly complement the stadium’s summer programme of concerts by top international stars. We put a lot of energy into the NFL application and are now putting just as much energy into the preparations for and implementation of the games in our home stadium.”
“The fixtures in Germany will offer fans two highly exciting games in November,” added Dr. Alexander Steinforth, General Manager of NFL Germany. “We are delighted to host both games in Frankfurt, a city with a long NFL history and a large NFL fan base. The league would like to express its sincere thanks to our partners, the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, the City of Frankfurt and Eintracht Frankfurt for their excellent cooperation. We can hardly wait for the Frankfurt Stadium to host some of the greatest teams in our sport this autumn.”
