The Minnesota Vikings are returning to the United Kingdom in 2024.
The NFL on Thursday announced Minnesota as a designated team to play a regular-season game at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as part of the 2024 International Games.
The week and opponent have not been determined, but the game will come from one of the nine scheduled regular-season home games for the Vikings (all NFC teams are scheduled for nine in 2024, continuing an alternating format that began with the AFC in 2021).
"We are honored to once again represent the NFL in the continued effort to make the game of football more accessible globally," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. "We've seen tremendous international support of the Vikings with our previous three London games and with our successful bid to land the United Kingdom as a global market. Our focus will be on winning for the fourth consecutive time in London, along with replicating the incredible game-day environment we enjoy in Minnesota and creating a memorable experience for our partners and fans."
Minnesota and the St. Louis Cardinals played the first NFL exhibition game on European soil in 1983, winning at Wembley Stadium. The Vikings also emerged from exhibition games in Sweden (1988), Germany (1993) and Japan (1994) with victories.
The Vikings returned to the United Kingdom in 2013 for their first international regular-season game and claimed a 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4. In 2017, Minnesota visited London and defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-16 in Week 8 at Twickenham Stadium.
Minnesota met the New Orleans Saints in 2022 and left the Week 4 matchup with a 28-25 win thanks to a double doink on a field goal that would have tied the game.
In addition to the Vikings, the NFL announced the Chicago Bears also will play a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the venue that was designed with special emphasis on hosting NFL games, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will return to London for the 12th time and play at Wembley Stadium as part of that organization's multi-year commitment to playing a game in the U.K.
Additionally, the NFL designated the Carolina Panthers to play in Munich, Germany, marking the third consecutive regular season that at least one game has been played in Germany.
A fifth 2024 International Game has been announced for São Paulo, Brazil, but no teams have been announced for what will be the first NFL game in South America.
"Taking our game to more fans around the world is a major priority for the league and its 32 teams, and we are delighted to be returning to London and Munich in 2024," said Peter O'Reilly, executive vice president, club business, league events and international at the NFL. "Whether tackle or flag football, international passion for the game and the NFL continues to grow, and having our teams and their world-class athletes play games and engage with fans around the world is an important part of becoming a truly global sport."
All four designated teams playing in the U.K. and Germany are part of the NFL's Global Markets Program, which awards international marketing rights to NFL teams in countries beyond the U.S. The Bears, Vikings and Jaguars have international marketing rights in the U.K., and the Panthers are among teams with marketing rights in Germany.
While there will be no international game in Mexico in 2024 due to Estadio Azteca renovations in Mexico City, the league has confirmed that future international games will return once they are complete.
With the expansion of the NFL schedule in 2021, up to four of the teams from the conference whose teams are eligible for a ninth regular-season home game are now designated to play a neutral-site international game each year.
Following a recent vote by NFL clubs to increase league-operated international game inventory from four to eight games a season, beginning in 2025 the NFL will have the right to schedule up to eight regular season games per season internationally. New markets and host cities/stadiums for future seasons will be announced at later dates.
Visit vikings.com/london for more information and to sign-up for international updates.
