The NFL likes to boast about its growing popularity overseas, but there’s at least one sign that foreign fans are deciding NFL tickets aren’t worth the price.
Tickets to the October 18 Texans-Jaguars game at London’s Wembley Stadium are not selling well. General tickets have been on sale since May 29, and it remains easy on ticket sites to find large blocks of tickets available. Searching ticket sites, fans can find blocks of 12 seats together in many sections of the stadium.
The popular NFL UK Tickets social media account, which tracks ticket availability for NFL London games and is not affiliated with the league, posted a seating map showing many tickets remain unsold.
“Can’t actually believe how badly the Texans v Jaguars game has sold. Over a week of the general sale and this is a snap shot of what the stadium looks like. Gone are the days of selling out the first day, people voting with their feet and staying away due to price,” NFL UK Tickets posted.
Replies to that post show many UK-based fans saying the NFL has made tickets too expensive, with some saying it’s cheaper to fly to the United States to see an NFL game than to buy tickets in their own home country.
The NFL will play a record nine international games this year and plans even more next year, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggesting that the league may eventually play 16 games overseas, with every team leaving the country once. Poor ticket sales may be the only thing that could slow down the NFL’s aggressive international plans.
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