BOCA RATON, Fla. – The NFL is considering playing a regular season game in China as soon as 2018.
With owners, team executives and coaches meeting this week at a Boca Raton, Florida, resort at the annual league meeting, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday that the possibility of a game in China is being explored.
“We are completing a detailed analysis of playing a regular season game in China as early as 2018,” McCarthy said. “A handful of teams have already expressed interest.”
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No further vote of the owners would be required to approve such a game. The NFL plays an extensive slate of games in London and the owners already have authorized the league to schedule further games overseas through 2025. There will be three regular season games played next season in London and one in Mexico City.
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks planned to play a preseason game in Beijing in 2007. But the game was never played as the NFL turned its international focus to London.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post · Mark Maske
