The NFL and Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have extended their partnership until the 2029-30 season.
The agreement sees Tottenham given “official status as the Home of the NFL in the UK”. In the “expanded partnership… a minimum of two regular season NFL games” will be hosted by Tottenham every year.
The previous agreement Tottenham had with the NFL was signed in 2018 and was due to run until 2028.
NFL regular season games have been hosted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since October 2019, with two fixtures held during the inaugural year of Spurs’ new £1billion (now $1.2bn) arena.
Two NFL games in each season since 2019 — bar the COVID-affected 2020 season — have been at Tottenham, with Wembley Stadium also hosting two fixtures that year but only one since. This autumn, Tottenham have two games while Wembley has one as part of the NFL’s International Series.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was designed as a dual-purpose venue to host both Premier League matches and NFL games, with a grass pitch and artificial surface able to be alternated.
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“We are excited to extend our partnership with Tottenham Hotspur through the 2029-2030 season and look forward to hosting future NFL games in the world-class Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the Official Home of the NFL in the UK,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“Growing the game globally is a major strategic priority for the League. Our commitment to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will allow us to continue to bring extraordinary NFL experiences to fans in London, while creating a positive social and economic impact on the local community.”
The NFL has been staging fixtures in the UK, as part of their International Series, since 2007.
A single game was played annually at Wembley for the first six years, before increasing to two in 2013 then three from 2014. In 2016 and 2017, Twickenham — used primarily for rugby matches — also hosted one and two games respectively. In those years, Wembley held two games before hosting three in 2018 before Tottenham’s stadium opened in April 2019.
This season, Tottenham will host the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 8, followed by the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens a week later. Wembley, meanwhile, is hosting the Atlanta Falcons and the Jaguars on October 1.
“Our partnership with the NFL has been integral to our wider vision for the stadium and delivering a sports and entertainment destination in London. Creating additional recurring sources of revenue to reinvest in our football activities is a key part of the club’s financial model,” said Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman.
“NFL gamedays at our stadium are special occasions where we see fans from around the world descend on Tottenham, bringing so much vibrancy to the High Road and supporting our local economy.”
(Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
