Both the NFL and the Jacksonville Jaguars announced extensions to continue playing at Wembley Stadium in London through 2020. The Jacksonville Jaguars will continue to play one home game per year in London for at least the next five years, team owner Shad Khan announced on Thursday, via Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. That means that Wembley Stadium will host at least two games per year through 2020.
NFL, Jaguars announce extension of London games through 2020
At least two games will be played at Wembley Stadium for the next five years.
The league has the option for an additional five years as well, which would extend the series through 2025.
“This is great news for the Jaguars and the stability of the team in Jacksonville, which has come to embrace London as our home away from home,” Khan said.
One criticism of games played at Wembley has been the playing surface, which hasn’t been an ideal match for American football. Beginning in 2018, the NFL will also play London games at a new stadium being built for Tottenham Hotspur, which will feature a retractable grass field with an artificial surface underneath that will be used when NFL teams come.
“These agreements reiterate the NFL’s commitment to the UK, with two stadium deals running concurrently,” Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president of international, said. “To be playing in Wembley, the national stadium, and at Tottenham, in what will be London’s newest stadium, is fantastic.”
A partnership announced in 2012 sent the Jaguars a home game to London once a year for four seasons, ending in 2016. With the extension, the Jaguars will presumably keep their rights to market their brand and sell products commercially overseas, something no other American sports team has.
The Jaguars will play their third-ever game on Sunday in London after losing to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The Buffalo Bills have previously played games at Rogers Centre in Toronto, but will play a game overseas for the first time in Week 7.
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