NFL wants expansion in Britain

The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday he expects the league to play more regular-season games in Britain in the next few years and even to put a franchise in London.

Goodell said that “every indicator” shows the British market can support more games and that having a franchise here is of “tremendous interest” to the league. But the commissioner does not have a timeline for expanding the NFL’s overseas presence.

This year is the third year in a row the NFL is staging a regular-season game in London and the New England Patriots will play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in London this Sunday. Goodell said at a sports conference Friday that the league is looking into playing at least two games a year in Britain and hoping to find potential venues in Manchester, Glasgow and Scotland.

According to Goodell, the league in considering expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 games and having every team play one game abroad. However, the commissioner said the league is not considering staging a Super Bowl abroad.