By Lydia Jane Allison

​​NFL’s return to Frankfurt sees the first ever back-to-back regular season games in Germany successfully close the NFL’s 2023 international schedule

FRANKFURT — Nov. 16, 2023 —The National Football League played two games in Frankfurt, Germany in consecutive weeks, successfully closing the league’s 2023 international schedule that included a record five games played in Europe.

The NFL’s return to Frankfurt — a city with a rich heritage in American football — had fans from across Germany and beyond come together to celebrate the two highly anticipated games.

The Miami Dolphins faced the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Nov. 5, followed by the Indianapolis Colts taking on the New England Patriots on Sunday Nov. 12, as international records were broken, and the NFL was once again embraced by its international fanbase.

NFL Frankfurt Games:

• 100,167 fans attended across consecutive games at Frankfurt Stadium, home to Bundesliga side, Eintracht Frankfurt.
• The Miami Dolphins-Kansas City Chiefs game on Nov. 5 totaled​ 9.6 million viewers across TV and digital, and was NFL Network’s most-watched international game on record; the game was also up 66% compared to last season’s Week 10 game in Munich.
• German broadcast partner RTL celebrated great ratings success; with up to 1.51 million viewers and a 20% market share in the target group of 14 to 49-year-olds, the Kansas City Chiefs’ performance achieved season-best ratings; the second game in Frankfurt also surpassed the million mark with 1.08 million fans tuning in to watch the Colts’ victory — ensuring a strong market share of 14.7% among 14- to 49-year-olds.
• From a retail perspective, the Miami Dolphins-Kansas City Chiefs game on Nov. 5 had record breaking sales over the weekend and the highest spend per head for any international gameday, with NFL Shop Europe Online having its largest Sunday ever recorded.
• NFL Germany’s social media channels recorded 60 million video views and 3 million fan interactions during the two game weeks; during the same period, the growth in followers across all NFL Germany channels totaled more than 50 thousand.
• Clubs with marketing rights in Germany through the NFL’s Global Markets Program activated in Frankfurt throughout game weeks with the Kansas City Chiefs’ “ChampionShip” and the New England Patriots’ “Patriots Haus” — hosting events for fans on the ground; the Carolina Panthers also took over a local Frankfurt bar & restaurant to host a fan watch party.
• Over 100,000 fans visited the NFL Experience in Frankfurt’s city center: a free fan activation in the heart of the city.

Dr. Alexander Steinforth, general manager, NFL Germany shared: “The figures speak for themselves — the NFL has arrived in Germany. We have seen a lot of ‘firsts’ in the past 24 months: the NFL’s premiere in Munich 2022, the opening of the NFL Germany office a few weeks ago and, most recently, two NFL games in Frankfurt. We are satisfied and grateful that the four NFL teams were warmly welcomed by the fans and guests in Frankfurt. We are already looking forward to continuing the cooperation with our partners, the City of Frankfurt and Eintracht Frankfurt Stadion GmbH.”

Lord Mayor of Frankfurt Mike Josef, added: “Great pictures of Frankfurt were broadcast to the world around these two NFL games. The city presented itself as an outstanding host and we were rewarded with positive feedback from the teams, the fans and also from economic stakeholders such as the retail and hospitality sectors. We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to present our great city in this way and to be able to offer it as a stage for these outstanding sporting events.”​

The NFL has a commitment to play regular season games in Germany through 2025, with Munich set to host in 2024.

In addition to two games in Frankfurt, the 2023 NFL International Games included three games played in London in October, with the Jacksonville Jaguars playing consecutive games internationally — a first for the league.

NFL 2023 International Games:

COURTESY NFL COMMUNICATIONS