The NFL formally announced on Wednesday that it would begin playing games in Germany, beginning in the 2022 NFL season. The first game is one of four games to be played in Germany between 2022-2025. It’ll be played in Munich, with FC Bayern hosting the first game in Germany in 2022 at Allianz Arena. It’s one of five international NFL games set to be played in 2022, with one to be played in Mexico and three in the United Kingdom.
The Kansas City Chiefs are a logical choice for the 2022 Munich game for a number of reasons. First, they’re one of four NFL teams awarded NFL international marketing right for Germany along with the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL has previously stated that it will attempt to schedule international games so teams that hold marketing rights can play in those countries. Tampa Bay is slated to host Kansas City sometime in 2022, so that game would be an obvious choice to be played in Munich, especially as a rematch of Super Bowl LV.
The Chiefs have an unspoken partnership with FC Bayern due to CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt. Hunt’s soccer team, FC Dallas, has shared a player development partnership with FC Bayern since 2018. That relationship has extended to the Chiefs, as the team was slated to host a match for the International Champions Cup in July of 2019 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The game between FC Bayern and AC Milan was eventually moved to Children’s Mercy Park as weather impacted the team’s ability to adequately prepare Arrowhead Stadium for the match. These clubs have collaborated leading up to that game, even putting star QB Patrick Mahomes in the spotlight with some of FC Bayern’s biggest stars.
Mahomes would be the third and final reason that the Chiefs would make a lot of sense for the 2022 game. He’s taken the league by storm since 2018 and has emerged as one of its most popular stars. He leads the NFL in merchandise sales among active players per the NFLPA’s most recent reporting. The league has every reason to get him in front of an international crowd as a way to help build up its audience.
Upon the announcement of the game in Munich, the Chiefs also showed their hand. They were quick to retweet FC Bayern’s US Twitter post down below:
The @NFL is touching down in Munich! 🏈
We're thrilled to host the first-ever NFL game in Germany! 🙌#MiaSanMia @NFLDeutschland pic.twitter.com/zt59mBV0WP
— 🇺🇸 FC Bayern US 🇨🇦 (@FCBayernUS) February 9, 2022
It’s not a big surprise to see some Mahomes and Chiefs HC Andy Reid in that video.
Maybe Kansas City gets passed over for the game next season, but really it’s only a matter of time before the Chiefs end up playing a game in Germany.
