NFL Could Do Bills a Favor with 2027 NFL International Game

Even though the Buffalo Bills will have to wait until 2027 to play an international game, there's reason to think about where they will host said game when that season comes around.

International games are a great way to boost marketing and fan engagement, as the NFL's influence has spread across Europe and South America. However, some teams have an advantage in that regard through the league's Global Markets Program, through marketing rights in more countries.

The Bills are not one of those teams, as they only have marketing rights in Canada. However, that could be a blessing in disguise for the Bills when they host their international game considering the downsides of these battles.

Why will Buffalo host an international game in 2027?

A small NFL scheduling item that impacts the #Bills 2027 schedule. A couple of years ago NFL owners reduced the mandate of at least one international game for each NFL club every 8 yrs, to 4 yrs. Knowing Buffalo's last international game was in 2023, the mandate means the Bills…
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrownBills) May 29, 2026

Chris Brown, the radio voice of the Bills, posted on X on Friday that a couple years ago, NFL owners reduced the mandate for teams to host at least one international game to four years from eight, meaning the Bills, whose last international game was in 2023, will host one in 2027 to meet the mandate.

Buffalo has only played in two international games since 2015, both of them being losses in London, England, to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have hosted at least one game in that city every year since 2013 except 2020, when the NFL shut down all international games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bills should be thankful that they haven't had to play many international games over the years, given their penchant for being weird and detrimental at the same time to teams. They have first-hand experience in that as well.

Downfall of international games

Oct 8, 2023; London United Kingdom, Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws the ball under pressure from Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi (94) during the first half of an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Bills "hosted" the Jaguars in 2023 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they saw linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, arguably the defense's two most important players, suffer major injuries.

Milano was lost for the season with a fractured leg, part of a lengthy injury history that has contributed to him still being on the open market after nine strong seasons in Buffalo. Jones, meanwhile, suffered a torn pectoral that caused him to miss 10 games.

Even after their 25-20 defeat to Jacksonville, the Bills came out flat the next week against a struggling New York Giants team, needing a goal-line stand in the final seconds to hold on to a 14-9 victory. Repercussions like this carried into last season's international slate.

Oct 8, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is pressured by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd (56) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Following an overtime 31-25 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany, the Atlanta Falcons lost another overtime game to the Carolina Panthers, 30-27, the next week, and it didn't come without injuries.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (ACL tear) and wide receiver Drake London (PCL sprain) missed extended time after getting hurt in that game. Jet lag plays a big role in games after long travel, so it's proven that international games can be harmful to teams.

However, there is a way for Buffalo to eliminate any concern of traveling a long distance while still filling the quota, and it involves going back to a place it knows well because of its tenure there in the 2000s and 2010s.

A familiar locale for Buffalo

U.S. and Canadian flags — Dec 1, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; The Canadian Armed Forces present the colors during the national anthem before the game between the Bills and the Falcons at the Rogers Centre. | Kevin Hoffman-Imagn Images

Every year since 2022, the NFL has introduced at least one new host city to its international slate, and with Buffalo on the docket for 2027, it could go back to a well for the Bills, even if the initial experiment there didn't go well.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, specifically the Rogers Centre, the home of MLB's Blue Jays, has to be at the top of the list for host sites for an international NFL game hosted by the Bills. In addition to the team's marketing rights north of the border, it hosted six games there from 2008 to 2013.

Buffalo only went 1-5 in those games, and the relationship between sports fans of those cities could be strained. Whether it be a poster telling Toronto fans to stop rooting for the Bills or the team canceling its Toronto series the same year the late owner Ralph Wilson passed, it's a very hard-luck situation.

Dec 1, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Bills quarterback EJ Manuel (3) dives in for a touchdown while Falcons strong safety William Moore (25) tries to make a tackle during the first half at the Rogers Centre. | Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

However, Buffalo stands to benefit from hosting their international game in 2027 in Toronto. It's only a two-hour drive around Lake Ontario to Canada's most populous city, which limits any risk of jet lag and other related negative impacts that come with flying overseas to Europe.

Ironically, the Bills are slated to host the Washington Commanders, the only team they beat in the initial six-game Toronto series, in 2027, which makes them an intriguing option. The three AFC East foes, the Colts, the Houston Texans, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the AFC North and NFC South teams that have the same divisional standing as Buffalo in 2026 are the other choices.

Buffalo has a whole season of football to look ahead to, but the thought of possibly playing an international game in Toronto in 2027 could linger in the distance.

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