Goodell: 'I have no doubt' NFL will eventually have teams outside the U.S.

Commissioner Roger Goodell told a German outlet he believes NFL franchises will one day exist outside the United States as the league's international footprint keeps expanding.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he believes the league will eventually plant franchises beyond American soil.

Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate): NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told @ntvde that he believes there will eventually be NFL teams from other countries, not just the United States. “There will be NFL teams outside the USA. I have no doubt that this will happen one day,” Goodell said.

Goodell made the remarks to the German outlet @ntvde, reinforcing a long-running theme from the league's leadership even as the NFL's near-term focus has been on an expanding slate of international games rather than permanent overseas teams. The league already regularly plays in London, Germany and Mexico, and is scheduled to add Brazil and Spain to its rotation, part of a push Goodell has described as building a durable global fan base.

The comments also echo a July report in Sportico in which Goodell named Japan as a country the league is keen to visit and said there are roughly 10 others he would love to see host NFL games. For now, those are regular-season and standalone contests abroad; Goodell's latest remarks go a step further in framing full franchises as an eventual, if distant, reality.