Breakfast Ball: How NFL International Games Reshaped Sunday Mornings
By Ben Musial
As the NFL continues its quick and aggressive international expansion into October, Sunday morning football is turning into a permanent staple for domestic viewers.
Aside from bringing the game overseas, the league’s European slate is altering how fans consume the sport stateside as well.
Last Sunday, London’s Wembley Stadium and more than 80,000 fans in attendance were gifted a thrilling divisional matchup. The Houston Texans secured a walk-off 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
Not only does an exciting game like this help the popularity of the NFL around the globe, it also creates excitement for American fans to wake up early to watch the NFL.
For audiences and fans across the U.S., the 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff window creates a continuous 12-hour football marathon that never lets up, capping off with late-night primetime games.
The early matchups have established a new weekend ritual. They have turned quiet Sunday mornings into collective watching experiences in households before the afternoon slate even kicks off.
While London was the first and original location for international games, the NFL’s footprint has aggressively expanded across Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, and South America. There were even additional trips into Australia earlier this year.
By playing games in iconic international venues, the league is proving these matchups display high-stakes competitive football instead of regular exhibition matchups.
Recently, the teams taking the field have done their part to help the NFL as well, with the last two international games (both took place in London) being decided in the final seconds.
Beyond capturing international broadcast markets, this global expansion monetizes a previously available Sunday morning TV slate back in the States. What began as a single London experiment has turned into a multi-continental project that reshapes how American fans plan their fall weekends.
