NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has held talks about staging games in Paris, The U.S. Sun understands.
The commish discussed the possibility of organizing regular-season games at the iconic 80,000-seat Stade de France as he headed across the pond for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The NFL already has a vast presence in Europe with London games being a regular part of the schedule since 2007.
Two years ago, the league returned to Germany for the first time since the collapse of NFL Europe.
Goodell confirmed that league executives were looking to dive into another market last November with Brazil and Spain being suggested as the two likely destinations.
In the end, the NFL decided to head to South America with the Philadelphia Eagles set to play the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo as part of the 2024 season’s Week 1 slate.
But the league is not done turning football into a truly global sport, sources said.
An insider within the sports department for the city of Paris confirmed to The U.S. Sun there’s “common interest” in bringing NFL action to the French capital.
The goal is to play regular-season games in Paris in the next few years, taking place at Stade de France — the country’s national stadium that will host the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony.
“We see that there are games played in London — and soon in Madrid — and we know that other cities, like Rome or Barcelona, are pushing to host games too,” the insider said.
“So we are trying to get some advance in our talks.”
The French officials hope to have at least two games played in France per season, the source said.
Goodell witnessed the enthusiasm of local sports fans with his own eyes having attended a couple of Olympic events this week — and “loved” what he saw, The U.S. Sun understands.
“We had very interesting meetings and talks, and we are looking forward to taking the next steps,” the insider said.
“The NFL is really excited about this possibility, and we are going to make this happen, that is almost certain as both parties want the same goal.”
Another source close to the Stade de France management company confirmed that “talks and meetings” with Goodell “have been very positive, to say the least.”
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The commissioner appeared “thrilled” with the idea of bringing NFL football to Paris, the insider added.
As the conversations went on, the source continued, the commish brought up the NBA hosting regular-season games in Paris again in the past few years — noting he wants his league to follow suit.
“He knows Paris is the perfect city for this kind of event,” the insider said.
“And he is very, very excited about the perspective of having Paris, and Stade de France, hosting NFL regular season games in a very close future.
“We both want the same [things], and we will make it work as it’s a massive and sure-to-be-successful project.”
The source said the enterprise would be a “win-win situation for both the NFL and for Paris and France” considering the league’s global ambitions and the city’s passion for sports.
Last year, Goodell confirmed plans for further international expansion before setting on Brazil as the next market to enter.
“We want to grow to become a real global sport, so you have to play in more markets, clearly,” he said in Frankfurt last November.
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