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Berlin wants NFL games at the Olympic Stadium after success in Munich and Frankfurt

SID
Munich hosted the game in 2024
Munich hosted the game in 2024ČTK / DPA / Sven Hoppe
The city of Berlin has officially applied to host NFL games at the Olympic Stadium - the senate announced on Tuesday. In the years 2025 to 2029, National Football League (NFL) games, which until now have been held in Munich and Frankfurt, will take place in the German state capital.

"American football is an absolutely trendy sport, and Berlin is one of the leading international sporting metropolises. They go hand in hand," said Iris Spranger, Senator for Home Affairs and Sport.

"The sporting metropolis of Berlin, with its outstanding infrastructure and sport-loving Berliners, is also an ideal venue for American football".

Berlin's bid will be "complemented by measures to further develop the sports of American football and football, also in youth and school sports".

The capital in action

The German capital has already positioned itself as a host city in recent days. " An NFL game in Berlin would be spectacular," said commissioner Roger Goodell on the sidelines of this year's game in Munich between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants.

According to RTL television, the Berlin government plans to invest up to 12.5 million euros by 2029 to become the host city. Of this, €1.55 million will be earmarked for next year.

In 2022, the NFL hosted its first game in Germany with the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with superstar Tom Brady and the Seattle Seahawks. The inaugural game in Munich was followed by two games in Frankfurt in 2023, before the league returned to Bavaria this year.

Officially, the contract runs until 2025, when the NFL will return to Frankfurt. After that, however, it will definitely continue.

"The most important thing is that we will play in Germany again next year," Goodell stressed to RTL: "We want to do it in the future because there is a lot of interest here."