Cowboys' Powerful Brand Will No Longer Protect Dallas From International Games

The Dallas Cowboys have mostly avoided international games, but that could be changing in the years to come.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have mostly avoided playing international games since they became a yearly occurrence in 2007.

Perhaps Dallas was just lucky, but the power that is Dallas' brand might have played a role in that.

Before this year, teams that were on the international slate had the option to block games against two different opponents on their schedule from being one of their international foes.

However, that will no longer be the case starting next season, as the NFL has removed that ability during the NFL's spring league meeting this week.

"The league also voted to strip teams' ability to protect any home games from international play," Fowler reported. "Previously, teams could protect two games."

In response to that, the Dallas Morning News' Joseph Hoyt said the belief has been that teams blocked their games against the Cowboys from being international ones so as not to miss out on the "good numbers" games against Dallas draw.

"That last part is notable. It’s believed that a lot of teams would protect their home game against the Cowboys from international play because they knew it would draw good numbers. That’s why the Cowboys haven’t traveled internationally in a long time. That could change," Hoyt said.

If that's the case, the Cowboys could be seeing more international games in the years to come.

Of course, the Cowboys are one of the most popular teams in the NFL and in professional sports, so they always draw good ratings and attendance, no matter if they're home or away.

Cowboys' history of international games

Dallas Cowboys celebrate during a 2014 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Of course, the Cowboys are going to play an international game in 2026, when Dallas takes on the Baltimore Ravens in the first-ever NFL game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which comes in Week 3.

This is the first international game the Cowboys have played since 2014, when they squared off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and it is just the second international game since the international series began in 2007.

The 2026 trip will see the Cowboys travel 20 hours and more than 10,000 miles round trip, which has aided in Dallas ranking fourth in total travel miles this season. If you take the Brazil trip out, Dallas lands in the middle of the pack.

One issue with this game is the Cowboys don't have any extra rest, either before or after it. Dallas has normal rest between Weeks 2 and 3, and the Cowboys won't have their bye in Week 4, with the team instead opting to take it later in the season.

Unfortunately for Dallas, that led to them getting a Week 14 bye, which is less than ideal because teams prefer to have a bye closer to the middle of the season. By the time Week 14 rolls around, the benefits a bye week can provide might be too little too late.

That will only make Dallas' already tough schedule even more difficult to navigate.