The series is part of the NFL’s strategy to deepen its foothold in Europe. The first attempt, a 1974 plan for an Intercontinental Football League, with teams penciled in for Istanbul, Rome, Munich, West Berlin, Vienna, and Barcelona, folded before playing a single down. In 2019, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London became the first arena outside North America specifically built to accommodate an American football game. This article appears in the August/September 2026: Europe issue of Fortune with the headline “Can the NFL finally conquer Europe?” The post The NFL’s previous push into Europe lost $400 million.