It’s no secret that the National Football League has designs on expanding its global presence. The NFL has made a huge push to increase its exposure on television broadcasts, and it has, more recently, expanded its number of international games. In the 2025 regular season, the NFL held games in Brazil, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Next season, Australia will host its first-ever NFL game. The number of countries is expected to expand by the end of the decade.
Is a game in Israel a possibility? The answer depends on a variety of factors, not least security concerns at the moment. But if we look at it within purely sporting terms, there is a case to be made, although there are several logistical barriers that would have to be overcome.
Patriots Owner Has Supported Football In Israel
There is, of course, a potential advocate for this in the form of Robert Kraft. The owner of the New England Patriots is proud of his Jewish heritage, and he has often made the case for growing the sport of American football in Israel, if not outright demanding that games be played there. Kraft has brought the Patriots for “Touchdown Trips,” i.e., non-playing tours, and he has also opened his wallet to fund the Kraft Family Football Complex in Jerusalem.
One of the reasons why Kraft’s voice could be important is that there is a precedent. Ireland, for instance, has a smaller population – or better way to put it, potential market – than Israel, yet it was able to hold its first NFL game this season. One of the reasons that became possible was that the owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rooney Family, have Irish roots and constantly banged the drum to play a game there. It was no coincidence that the Steelers were chosen to play Ireland’s first-ever NFL game.
Kraft’s Patriots have business in the Playoffs right now, sitting among the favorites in DraftKings’ Super Bowl odds at the time of writing, but when the business of planning ahead comes in the offseason, teams will be deciding on their future international fixtures. We gather that infrastructure would be an issue raised by the naysayers.
Stadium Sizes Would Be Questioned
Israel’s biggest stadium, the Teddy Stadium, can hold 31,733 spectators, which is small by NFL standards. It is still possible, but to put it in context, Ireland’s Croke Park holds 80,000+. It would clearly mean more pressure on ticket sales, with the possibility of high-priced tickets to make up the deficit.
Yet, even if the stadium did not hold the attendance usual to NFL standards, holding a game in Israel could have unique marketing opportunities, including drumming up interest from the Jewish diaspora in the United States and beyond. Such marketing opportunities would certainly offset some of the higher operational costs of holding a game in Israel. Most of the other potential issues are surmountable hurdles, such as time-zone friction in the American market.
Of course, we do have to take the political situation into context. And, while you get the impression that the league would enjoy the chance to play in Israel, there might be objections from some player factions. Organizations like the NFL tend to run away from those fights if they can help it.
In the end, all of this is highly speculative at the moment. Even if such a game were possible, it could potentially take years of planning. But the NFL has an insatiable desire to grow, and US sports have steadily risen in popularity in Israel, with or without the help of people like Robert Kraft. Right now, it looks unlikely, but in the future, why not?