The NFL British Invasion Is Being Taken To The Next Level

The 2026 NFL London Games were about so much more than what transpired on the fields at Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley Stadiums over the last three weekends.

Before the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders kicked off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on an unseasonably balmy October afternoon at the beginning of the month, several other NFL franchises were planting their flags into British soil.

In London, the Kansas City Chiefs were taking over Leicester Square with their ‘Chief’s House’ exhibition space. The Chiefs’ history and culture were celebrated across two evenings in a weekend billed as ‘a journey through the heart of the kingdom’. With rings on display from the Chiefs’ four Superbowl victories, guest appearances, country music, Kansas City BBQ and KC memorabilia adorning every wall, the event was an immersive experience designed to both celebrate the legacy of the Chiefs and educate potential new fans on the last 60 or so years of the kingdom.

READ MORE: Tyler Owens Delivered the Best Play of the NFL Season in its Very First Week

Meanwhile, on the south coast, the Chicago Bears were kicking off their ‘UK Grand Tour’ with a little help from the Premier League’s AFC Bournemouth. Staley Da Bear partnered up with Bournemouth’s Cherry The Bear for photo opportunities, pop-ups were had, giveaways were enjoyed and a viewing party was held inside the Vitality Stadium for Da Bears’ season opener against the Jets.

The NFL London Series is now only part of the league’s UK expansion

The 1985 NFL Champions would take in Cardiff, Leeds, Glasgow and Belfast before heading back to Illinois. Their opponents on that opening weekend, the New York Jets, would also have a presence on this side of the Atlantic. Teaming up with Crystal Palace’s Palace For Life charity, the Jets have been aiming at bringing more young girls into sport through the increasingly popular flag football. Gang Green’s NFL London Girls Flag League is set for a Spring 2027 kick off with over 40 schools and 450 girls competing.

Trafalgar Square was taken over by the NFL ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ last-gasp defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles, with a two-day festival of all things gridiron in the shadows of Trafalgar’s iconic fountains and Nelson’s Column. On the approach to Trafalgar, jerseys from across the AFC and NFC were intermingling with one another. A takeover of the entire English capital, rather than just a solitary square.

For three weeks every year, London becomes the epicentre of the NFL universe. Even with international games expanded across Europe, South America and Australia, the English outreach for the NFL feels the most culturally significant, dating back to October 28, 2007 when the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants faced off at Wembley in the inaugural international game. What at once felt like a gimmick almost 20 years ago, is now a series woven into the fabric of British sporting culture.

UNBELIEVABLE. JAGS WIN. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?! https://t.co/O7x8JTgPeK

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made Wembley their second home. Fans of teams not even represented make their way across the ocean to experience the United Kingdom. To serve as both tourists and deliverers of stateside game day atmosphere.

Want to reminisce about Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith? There’s more than a handful of Cowboys from Dallas ready and willing to do that with you. A Giants fan will readily regale you with the tail of how they made the perfect Patriots of 2008 imperfect at Super Bowl XLII. Bills fans will stare into the distance whenever you mention that you’ve seen ‘The Four Falls of Buffalo’.

College ball has now crossed the Atlantic

Between pubs and the tube and the approach and departure from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across the first two weekends in October, I was embedded in NFL culture and history. It is inescapable at this point. 2027 will mark the 20th anniversary of the London games, which are now also a destination for celebrity spotting just as much as they are a can’t miss sporting event. Noel Gallagher and Wayne Rooney are spotlighted in the crowd during the Colts and Commanders game (crucially not together, mind you). Stars of the small and silver screens as well as athletes, pop stars and influencers crowd the red carpet and VIP areas a few steps from the tunnel out onto the field.

The very fact that franchises not even involved in the games want to maintain a presence while they are happening proves that the NFL’s plans for British expansion are showing no signs of reaching a plateau any time soon.

FOX Big Noon Kickoff outside of Wembly Stadium for the Union Jack Classic #kufootball https://t.co/ZNSQXaQgqo

— Kansas Nation (@thekansasnation) September 19, 2026

Even college football is now not so subtly charging its way onto these shores. The Union Jack Classic took place for the first time this year, between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Hosting a first time college game on English soil is ambitious enough, but to hold the game in Wembley felt even more bold a choice. Until you realise that Arizona and Kansas packed over 46,000 fans into the home of English football. Another annual tradition beckons.

NFL London series to be joined by an NFL Manchester series in the next 10 years?

The college teams set the tone for the remainder of the month, with the Eagles and Jaguars setting the attendance record for a London game by cramming 61,322 fans into Spurs’ stadium on October 12. My train from Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, three hours removed from Cam Little’s remarkable, last second 57-yard game winning field goal, full of so much despondent kelly green you would think I’d just exited Lincoln Financial Field after Nick Sirriani’s men had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

POV: the NFL has officially taken over London ⬇️ https://t.co/Ms1iVAJXGL

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) October 17, 2026

Attending the opening two London games this year felt even more enormous than last year’s series. Landing a reasonable hotel room felt more difficult to accomplish. More than a few restaurants and pubs were rendered inaccessible as they teemed with Mahomes, Allen, Brady and Hurts jerseys. The bar once again felt like it had been raised for hysteria and fanaticism. Pop ups, takeovers and tailgates are becoming more and more popular.

A record attendance being achieved in year 19 of the London games felt like the perfect accomplishment to bring the curtain down on the first 20 years of the NFL’s British invasion and the ideal curtain raiser for the next two decades.

With Manchester United set to follow Tottenham’s lead by having their new stadium purpose built for NFL capabilities, the London series will likely have a northern sibling within the next decade. And who’s to say it will stop there?

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images