The NFL has had a significant goal for a long time to expand its brand to various markets outside the U.S. and particularly increase its popularity overseas. The Kansas City Chiefs have been a part of the league’s plan to extend the game to international markets back in 2015 and 2019, and it appears they’ll be traveling again in 2022.
The league’s specific focus has been chiefly on the U.K., where the NFL has established a large fan base by playing a significant amount of games there since 2007. As part of the NFL’s goal to branch out to other international markets, the league asked all 32 clubs to apply for the countries they want to market themselves in. While some teams did not participate, the Kansas City Chiefs jumped at the opportunity, applying to play a game in Mexico and Germany, and were awarded both.
On February 9, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced four games will play in Germany starting this fall. Games in 2022 and 2024 will occur at Allianz Arena in Munich, while games in 2023 and 2025 will be played at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt.
Kansas City will be playing in Germany at some point within the next four years, but it looks like it could be as soon as this upcoming fall. It’s very likely the Chiefs will play one of the other three clubs that have German interest. Those teams are the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Given how the NFL’s schedule rotates, the Chiefs are scheduled to travel to Tampa Bay during the 2022 Regular Season. Nothing is official yet, but it makes a lot of sense for two teams with similar international interests to play before a German crowd.
According to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride, it’s unlikely the league will send an NFC South matchup between the Bucs and Panthers overseas. That leaves a Super Bowl 55 rematch as the only option for a 2022 game in Munich.
Further evidence that Kansas City could be packing their bags this fall can be displayed through the team’s activity on social media. The Chiefs retweeted a hype video announcing the NFL’s German debut.
Kansas City has also heavily hinted at playing in Munich by casually mentioning Munich’s local pro soccer team FC Bayern, as Head Coach Andy Reil holds up an FC Bayern jersey while soccer player Julian Nagelsmann holds a Chiefs jersey.
Then there’s this German hype video that translates to “No FC Bayern football hype video comes close to this video.” This originated back on January 31, 2020, wishing the Chiefs luck in Super Bowl 54 and was retweeted earlier this month.
To be clear, nothing’s official yet. But it’s very possible the Chiefs will have eight games at home, eight on the road, and one international contest in 2022. If that’s the case, it would be the third time Kansas City has traveled outside the United States. The Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2019 season in Mexico City and beat the Detroit Lions in a London game back in 2015.
