GREEN BAY – London has finally called for the Green Bay Packers.
The NFL announced on Monday the Packers will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in 2022. Green Bay previously had been the only team to not have played a regular-season game in the NFL International Series, which began in 2007.
Last year, as part of the NFL's expansion of the regular season to 17 games, it was determined that, beginning with the 2022 season, up to four of the teams from the conference whose teams were eligible for a ninth regular-season home game would instead be designated to play a neutral-site international game.
Dates, matchups and kickoff times will be confirmed as part of the full 2022 schedule announcement later this year.
"This is something the league office has been talking to us for a long time about. We were the last team to play a game internationally," Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy told packers.com's Larry McCarren. "The fans there are really going to relate well to the Packers organization. It's a great opportunity for NFL fans in Europe to become more familiar with the Packers and be more likely to come to Lambeau for a game in the future."
Murphy said the Packers likely will host events for fans leading up to the game, including a Packers Everywhere pep rally. As far as on the field, it's likely the Packers will have a bye week after the game.
The Packers have played abroad before, just never during the regular season. Green Bay has participated in three international preseason games, with the most recent coming in 2019 against the Raiders in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
"We're very excited," Murphy said. "This is something I've heard from so many of our fans over the years, particularly those in Europe and particularly in London, 'When are you gonna come? When are you gonna come?' We're really excited to be playing in London.
"Not only will our fans in Europe be excited about it, I've also heard from a lot of fans here in the States and certainly here in Wisconsin looking forward to seeing us play a game in London."
The New Orleans Saints also were selected to play in a second game at Tottenham Hotspur next year, while Jacksonville will play a home game at Wembley Stadium in London.
The Arizona Cardinals were selected to play in Mexico City, Mexico, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicking off the NFL's inaugural regular-season game in Munich, Germany.
