How Texans’ London game vs. Jaguars follows rapidly growing NFL international trend

HOUSTON – As the Texans travel across the Atlantic Ocean in October to square off against the AFC South divisional rival Jacksonville Jaguars in London at historic Wembley Stadium, they’re part of a growing NFL international trend.

The league has scheduled a record nine international games across four continents and seven nations this season as a wave of global football games has emerged as a key initiative for the NFL.

Beyond the Texans’ Oct. 18 road game against the Jaguars, marking the second time they’ve faced Jacksonville in England, the NFL has inaugural games in Melbourne, Australia between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the first week of the regular season. Paris, at Stade de France, is the site of a game between the New Orleans Saints versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 25.

“We are proud to return to London and the iconic Wembley Stadium this season,” Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “We look forward to competing against the Jaguars and contributing to the continued global growth of the NFL. As we celebrate 25 seasons of Houston Texans football, this marks another significant moment for our organization and for Texans fans in Houston and around the world.”

The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens play in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the third week of the season. And the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons have a game in Madrid, Spain in the ninth week of the regular season.

The Jaguars host consecutive games in London, partially because of their ongoing stadium renovations. The Detroit Lions have a November game in Munich, Germany against the New England Patriots.

“It’s the ambition we have to be a global sport, but it’s also the demand we’re having,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said this offseason. “We’re hearing from cities all over the world that want to host these games and that really want to get more American football. That’s one of the things we’re really focused on.”

That focus on international strategy is underscored by the rapid increase of Mexico and Brazil as two of the largest international markets for the NFL with nearly 40 million fans in each nation.

The league is embracing Latino culture, including having Bad Bunny as the featured headliner for the annual Super Bowl halftime show.

The NFL has celebrated Latino Heritage Month through its Por La Cultura campaign highlighting Latino football players.

Bad Bunny’s featured role at the Super Bowl displays the NFL’s commitment to international growth and Latin America as they seek to leverage his global influencer status to provide a significant bump in engagement and buzz.

Popularity and cultural connections sells.

The ultimate goal for the league: having all 32 teams playing at least one overseas game annually. This is all part of a longer play by the league.

“I’ve said many times 16 games, so that every team is playing a regular season game every season,” Goodell said. “I think that’s an important mark for us to go for. I think we’re well on our way, with the desire we have from our side, but also the desire for people to have this in their communities, and some of the greatest cities in the world are asking to do this.”

The Texans previously played internationally in Mexico and London, falling to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2016 in Mexico City and beating the Jaguars, 26-3, at Wembley Stadium in 2019.

The Texans hadn’t previously confirmed their inclusion in the international series necessarily this season, but had expressed interest in future games.

“Yeah, we’re open to it,” Texans team president Mike Tomon said during the NFL annual meetings in March at the Arizona Biltmore. “We want to make sure it makes sense for football. So, we have to really think through those things. We also want to be able to promote the city on that global stage. And, so, those are all things that we’re open to.

“I think one of the things that we’re very supportive of is this international growth. And we think we’ll play a key role in that at some point. At some point is probably the thing you put in quotations right now. So, we’ll see when that is.”

Peter Reilly, the NFL executive vice president of club business, international and major events, has led the shift from occasional international showcase games to a permanent annual global sports program.

In 2024, the NFL hosted five international games. In 2025, the league had seven international games.

Reilly’s vision is for the aggregate pool of international games as something of a ‘33rd franchise’ to boost commercial revenue.

The NFL footprint, which expanded to South America two years ago and this year in Spain and Melbourne, is conducting due diligence regarding other markets across the world. That includes Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Greece and the United Arab Emirates under the NFL global markets program. Teams are awarded marketing, fan engagement and commercial rights to build their fan bases outside the United States.

The Texans’ designated global market is Mexico.

And the league is using flag football as an onboarding global tool, heavily lobbying for flag football to be included in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 to capitalize on 20 million participants across 100 countries.

“The 2026 NFL season will feature our most expansive and ambitious international slate yet, with regular-season games spanning Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City,” O’Reilly said. “This year’s record-breaking schedule will see a host of world-class NFL franchises and star athletes play in some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, underlying the league’s global growth vision and bringing our fans internationally closer to the game than ever before.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com