Vikings being used as NFL test run: Why more teams could soon be playing back-to-back international games
The league continues to expand abroad

The Minnesota Vikings will be making NFL history this year when they become the first team ever to play back-to-back international games in two different countries.
When the 2025 NFL schedule was unveiled on May 14, one of the biggest surprises was the fact that the Vikings would be playing in Ireland and England in consecutive weeks. Minnesota's historical trip will start in Week 4 against the Steelers in Dublin. After that game is over, they'll fly across the Irish Sea to London, where they'll face the Browns in Week 5.
Although this is the first time an NFL team has been asked to play back-to-back international games in two different countries, it won't be the last. According to Pro Football Talk, the NFL is using the Vikings' trip as a trial run. If everything goes smoothly, the league will likely have "multiple teams" scheduled to play back-to-back international games in different cities going forward.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he'd like to eventually see 16 international games per season, and having one team play two of those games in two different locations in back-to-back weeks will certainly make things easier from a scheduling standpoint.
The NFL is holding a total of seven international games this year with three of those games being played in a city that's hosting for the first time (Berlin, Dublin and Madrid).
Here's a look at the full list of the games being played in Europe:
- London: Rams vs. Jaguars (Wembley Stadium)
- London: Broncos vs. Jets (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
- London: Vikings vs. Browns (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
- Berlin: Falcons vs. Colts
- Dublin: Vikings vs. Steelers
- Madrid: Commanders vs. Dolphins

Berlin is set to become the third German city to host a game, joining Munich and Frankfurt. With the NFL trying to play as many international games as possible, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a team play in two different German cities in back-to-back weeks at some point in the future.
The NFL has also conducted site surveys in other European cities like Paris, Barcelona and Rome, so any one of those cities could be added to the international schedule at some point. If that happens, it will give the NFL more options if a team is asked to play in two different countries over a two-week span.
Although the Vikings are the first team to play consecutive international games in two different countries, they're not the first to play back-to-back international games. The Jaguars made history in 2023 when they became the first team to play two straight games in London, and they followed that up by doing it once again in 2024. For 2026, it seems like a given that at least one team will be playing back-to-back games abroad.