Updated 11/11/2024 – 12:50 p.mReading time: 2 min.
The NFL has already visited Munich twice. Next year the US football league wants to go to another German city.
NFL fans in Munich can have little hope that the US Football League will return to the Allianz Arena next year. As league boss Roger Goodell explained at a fan event on Sunday in Munich, the NFL is planning to play a game in Berlin for the first time next year. RTL/ntv had previously reported on the plans.
The deal with the capital for a game in the Olympic Stadium has not yet been finalized. “But we’re working on it,” Goodell said. The city of Berlin has already expressed interest in hosting an NFL game. When asked by the German Press Agency, a spokeswoman for the authorities confirmed that the Berlin Senate wants to discuss and decide on a corresponding proposal from Sports and Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD).
However, according to Goodell, the Berlin plans do not mean a fundamental end for Munich as a venue. “That doesn’t mean that we won’t come back to Frankfurt and Munich,” emphasized the NFL commissioner. Like the Main metropolis, where two games were played last year, the Bavarian capital is still interested in games.
On Sunday, more than 70,000 spectators in the Allianz Arena watched the Carolina Panthers win 20:17 after overtime against the New York Giants. In their first NFL guest game on German soil, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by quarterback legend Tom Brady beat the Seattle Seahawks 21:16 in Munich two years ago. The organizer had previously announced that it had received over seven million requests for tickets. A few days before the game, many fans from all over the world traveled to Munich.
Numerous celebrities were also in the stadium to watch the popular US sport live. The same goes for Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sané and David Alaba. Or presenter Kai Pflaume and Wayne Carpendale together with his wife Annemarie and son Mads. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder praised the event as a “real family festival” on his X channel. After the final whistle, however, many visitors were critical of the organization surrounding the departure. They complained about long waiting times and overcrowded subway stations.
