The NFL’s first international game of the 2026 season was a 49ers blowout over the Rams. It might not have been a great game, but it was significant — and surprising.
The second international game of 2026 became an instant classic.
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The Ravens and Cowboys traded blows back and forth, with Baltimore winning at the buzzer, giving Rio de Janeiro a terrific first NFL contest in the city. All three Brazil games the past three seasons have been tightly contested, one-score games.
And the ratings were massive, too.
But not every international game figures to hit as hard as that one did. Starting with, well, Sunday’s game at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between the Colts and Commanders. The NFL has cut ticket prices for Sunday’s game after slow sales, and neither team is helping the draw. Both started slowly, and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is questionable with an elbow injury.
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Thankfully, there appear to be other international games with more broad appeal, even as things can change quickly. We’re two games into the International Game series, with 49ers-Rams (Melbourne) and Ravens-Cowboys (Rio) already in the books. Seven foreign games remain, six in Europe and one in Mexico.
(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
(Yahoo Sports)
With the schedule of the remaining international tilts listed above, here’s how the games rank in terms of watchability, star power, game quality and interest:
1. Vikings-49ers, Mexico City (Week 11)
There is a case to be made for looking too far ahead here. After all, who knows whether the Vikings can keep this up? Will the substation have fully wrecked the Niners’ roster by Week 11? These are tangible concerns two months out, with the NFL very much a week-to-week league.
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But right now all signs point to this being an important game at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City. Both teams sit at 3-0, and they’d have to really go into the tank for this game not to be somewhat entertaining.
Schematically, this is a heavyweight matchup: Kyle Shanahan’s offense vs. Brian Flores’ defense. Flores beat Shanahan in their only meeting as head coaches, and Flores’ Vikings defense twice held Shanahan’s offense to 17 points in Minneapolis. So far, the Vikings have allowed only 41 points, rank first in sacks and are in the top 10 in several categories.
Assuming the 49ers can get healthier at receiver, the offense looks to be in great shape. Brock Purdy is emerging as an early MVP candidate, not taking a sack through three games and averaging 9.5 yards per pass play.
These teams might not remain unbeaten by Week 11, but both are making early playoff pushes.
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2. Eagles-Jaguars, London (Week 5)
Outside of the second half in Denver, the Jaguars have done a darned good job showing that their 2025 success was no fluke. Head coach Liam Coen and his offense have been humming, and Jacksonville’s defense is making big plays and keeping opponents’ scores low.
The Eagles opened the season with a pair of narrow wins over middling teams, and a blowout loss at the Bears has some questioning their credentials. They’ll also be coming off a tough game against the Rams prior to facing the Jaguars at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Even with sudden questions about the Eagles, this looks like a matchup of two potential division winners, two talented dual-threat QBs in Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts, and two fiery, offensive-minded coaches in Coen and Philly’s Nick Sirianni.
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The Jaguars have some British fans now, and you know the Eagles faithful are going to make this trip. The only time the two franchises met overseas, in 2018, the game drew a then-record Wembley Stadium crowd of 85,870. There will be some buzz for this game.
3. Texans-Jaguars, London (Week 6)
The 0-3 Texans don’t look great, which makes putting them this high a real risk. Then again, Houston was 0-3 last season and ended up 12-5 and getting a wild-card playoff spot. The Jaguars’ 2-1 start certainly puts them in the pole position, but their meeting with the Texans at Wembley Stadium will be their first vs. an AFC South opponent — and this is considered a “home” game for Jacksonville.
If the Texans fall to 0-4 with a home loss to the Cowboys on Sunday, they would drop on this list, too; that hole might be too deep to come back from, with the division almost completely out of reach. But if they beat the Cowboys and take care of business against the Titans, the Texans could be trying to get back to .500 against the Jags.
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Right now it looks only half good on paper, but here’s betting the Texans figure out a way to be more competitive prior to this overseas divisional matchup. They have little other choice.
4. Patriots-Lions, Munich (Week 10)
Another leap-of-faith pick to a degree. The Patriots have come out of the blocks slowly, especially offensively, with Drake Maye the subject of many armchair evaluators’ scrutiny. Even the 2-1 Lions have raised questions about their viability given that they’ve allowed 24 points or more in every game and were a few snaps away from being 0-3.
That’s the pessimistic view. The optimist might say both teams have more manageable games between now and then and can enter Munich week playing better than they are now, especially if the Patriots have A.J. Brown and the Lions have Brian Branch back from injury.
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And though this is considered a Lions home game, and Amon-Ra St. Brown is a household name among German NFL fans, the Patriots have played in the country previously and have been designated as one of the NFL’s International Home Marketing Area teams for Germany for the past five years.
Either way, it should be a spirited game, even if one or both teams are below where we thought they might be by Week 10.
5. Bengals-Falcons, Madrid (Week 9)
This is a game that could be far better than expected, or worse for that matter.
A lot depends on how Michael Penix Jr. handles the starting role. He was strong in his Week 3 season debut, giving the Falcons a new outlook on their season after the 0-2 start. With Penix playing well, this Falcons team has some firepower. Atlanta also could be getting James Pearce Jr. back from his suspension, as he’s due to be reinstated on Nov. 2. The Falcons also could have cornerback A.J. Terrell (groin) back before this game.
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The Bengals were looking terrific prior to the Week 3 loss to the Steelers. They have two tough games (Jaguars, Ravens) and two easier games (Dolphins, Titans) prior to heading to Spain. Cincinnati has been one of the least-injured teams to this point of the season, and it could get a boost with the possible return of WR Andrei Iosivas and CBs Ja’Sir Taylor and Jalen Davis.
At full power, both of these teams are capable of delivering offensive explosions. Again, this could end up far higher on the list by the time this game rolls around.
6. Steelers-Saints, Paris (Week 7)
The Saints were headed for a 2-1 record before blowing a fourth-quarter lead and imploding at home. The Steelers were staring 1-2 in the face before rallying with a statement win over the Bengals.
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How good are these teams? Each might be capable of making a playoff push, but the early results have been chaotic. This also could just as easily be a matchup of two teams that fall outside the postseason race. At the least, Aaron Rodgers gives this game name value, and Saints QB Tyler Shough is among the league leaders in passing through three games.
Regardless of where the teams are a month from now, there will be excitement over the first game in France, played at Stade de France, the country’s biggest sports venue. This is considered a Saints home game, and they have international marketing rights for France, with obvious connections to the country.
Laissez les bons temps rouler? We’ll have to see which team will have a true home-field edge in Paris, given how well the Yinzers travel. And whether both teams are still competitive by then.
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7. Colts-Commanders, London (Week 4)
Jayden Daniels is in London, but it’s hard to imagine him playing. The Commanders appear ready to turn to Marcus Mariota for this weekend’s game. The good news is that Mariota played well enough in Daniels’ absence last weekend to lead a rousing, perhaps season-saving win against the defending champion Seahawks.
The Colts also avoided an 0-3 start with their dramatic victory over the Texans in Week 3. Their pass defense will be tested, even against a backup QB, and there’s concern over Daniel Jones’ turnover rate (five in three games), but this offense can still function with Jonathan Taylor as the lead option.
The buzz for this game has been predictably flat, an expectation from two 1-2 clubs with negative point differentials, kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET. Daniels’ injury dropped the buzz factor down a notch or two as well. It might not have been atop the list had he been healthy, but it’s clear there’s less of an appetite for this game than any other on the list — at least as things stand now.
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