Eagles will agree to international game in 2026 under one condition

The Philadelphia Eagles were part of an historic international game that showcased NFL football to a new country. That game was the season opener in Brazil two years ago, a first for the league in South America.

While the Eagles were proud to participate in that Brazil game, they gave up a home game to play in that event. They won't be doing that again in the near future.

The Eagles are open to playing in international games, but as the road team next time. This is the year the Eagles have nine home games in the 17-game regular season schedule. Thanks to the Brazil game, they haven't had nine home games in a season since the 2022 campaign.

“We just did that in Brazil,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said at the NFL Owners Meetings last week. “We did it early, so we won’t be part of a cycle that has to give away a home game in the near future, which was part of our plan of being in Sao Paulo. We are openly available to be an away team."

There is a possibility the Eagles could play in an international game this season, as four of their 2026 opponents are scheduled for international games on the calendar. The Dallas Cowboys will play in Rio de Janiero as the host team, the San Francisco 49ers are the host team in Mexico City, the Washington Commanders are in London, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have two games in London.

That's four opportunities for the Eagles to play in an international game in 2026. The Eagles played in Brazil two years ago, so it's unlikely they go there again. Philadelphia was the road team against Jacksonville in London at Wembley Stadium in 2018, so the NFL may not want to repeat that matchup.

Could the NFL attempt an NFC East matchup in London against the Commanders? Certainly a possibility, considering the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are opening the season in the league's first game in Australia this season. The NFL may want to spice up the international matchups, and divisional games are a way to accomplish that.

That opponent may be the Commanders, as the Cowboys will reportedly host the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil this season. Assuming the NFL wants a divisional matchup in London that is.

The Eagles have international marketing rights in Australia, Brazil, Ghana and New Zealand -- which is why they agreed to host the league's inaugural Brazil game in 2024. That game was a rousing success for the league, but the Eagles played just eight game games as a result of giving up a home game.

Eagles season ticket holders have nine scheduled home games this year. Lurie wanted to make sure all of them were at Lincoln Financial Field.

Lurie is fine with playing an international game in 2026, but would prefer not to. The Eagles wanted to play an international game early in the league's rotation of teams, but the NFL has up to nine international games in seven differnt countries.

The Eagles are going to be part of an international game sooner than later. The global football market keeps getting bigger.

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