Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; General view down the line of scrimmage as Arizona Cardinals center Hjalte Froholdt (72) prepares to snap the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images/ File Photo
(Reuters) - The NFL will play a regular season game in Berlin for the first time in 2025 as part of an effort to expand its global footprint, the league said on Wednesday.
The fixture, which will be played at Olympic Stadium, will mark the fifth regular season game held in Germany after the National Football League has held matches in Munich and Frankfurt since 2022.
In addition to the game, the NFL said it will work with the Berlin Senate to grow and develop flag football - the non-contact format of the game that will be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics - in the capital city's schools and clubs.
"Germany has a rich tradition of American football, and the NFL has a deep history with the city of Berlin," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a news release.
"We first held a preseason game at the Olympic Stadium 34 years ago, before it was home to NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder in the early 2000s.
"Now, with almost 20 million NFL fans in Germany, we'll make a historic return to the city playing a regular season game for the first time as we open the next chapter in our relationship with Berlin."
The NFL has held 55 regular season matches outside the United States, with London, Munich, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto all hosting games to date.
Last December, NFL ownership voted to approve an increase in the slate of international games to eight from four beginning with the 2025 season.
A commitment to playing two games at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one game in Madrid at the home of Real Madrid have already been announced for 2025.
The rest of the international game hosts and all the teams that will be participating will be announced at a later date.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
