New Orleans Saints Unlikely To Play An International Game In 2024
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the ''home'' teams for the NFL International Series for the 2024-25 season. The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars will be the host teams for games in London, England. Munich, Germany, will host a game with the Carolina Panthers designated as the home team.
The New Orleans Saints do not play the Jaguars, Bears, or Vikings in 2024. NFC South foe Carolina is of course on the Saints schedule twice. The NFL will play a game in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the first time. The Philadelphia Eagles will be designated as the home team for that contest, to be played on a Friday night in Week 1.
NFL International games do not often pit divisional foes against each other. It's happened just six times out of the 43 regular season contests played during the regular season.
Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave (12) catches a pass between Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) and linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
International games began in 2007. New Orleans has played in three of those 43 games, all in London. In 2008, the Saints were designated as the home team in Wembley Stadium in a 37-32 defeat of the San Diego Chargers.
New Orleans returned to Wembley in 2017, this time as the visiting team, for a 20-0 win over the Miami Dolphins. In 2022, the Saints were designated as the host team during a 28-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Stadium.
While unlikely, there's still a slim possibility that the Saints will play an international game in 2024. The entire NFL schedule will be officially announced this spring.
