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The NFL should consider a mix of former-team markets, growing regional markets and international cities—but none of the ten below is confirmed to be seeking or receiving a franchise. The league has published no official expansion-city ranking or timetable in the sources reviewed. This is an editorial shortlist, not a report of NFL plans, and the order is not a validated ranking.
How to assess a potential NFL expansion city
A franchise needs more than a large population or a successful game-day crowd. A useful comparison asks whether a city can support a team without excessive overlap with an existing market, whether a stadium and financing path are credible, and whether travel and scheduling are workable. Fan demand and strategic fit matter too, but comparable current evidence for those factors is not available for every city here.
A Worcester Polytechnic Institute market-analysis paper names Orlando, Sacramento, San Diego and the San Antonio/Austin region as potential NFL markets. That is one analytical framework—not a league shortlist. The NFL’s documented international activity, meanwhile, shows the league’s global-growth efforts but does not establish plans for an overseas franchise.
Ten cities and regional markets worth considering
1. San Diego
San Diego has a plausible return-market case, and the WPI analysis includes it among potential NFL markets. That supports considering the market, not claiming a current bid: the source does not establish a stadium proposal or an ownership group. Any expansion case would need to show how a team could secure a viable venue and financing.
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2. St. Louis
St. Louis is a reasonable former-NFL-market candidate for discussion. The evidence available here does not establish a current bid or stadium plan, so its history alone should not be mistaken for present readiness. A serious case would depend on current ownership, venue and financing proposals.
3. San Antonio/Austin
These cities are best considered as one regional market, not counted as two independent candidates. The WPI paper identifies the combined region as a potential NFL market. The open question is whether a team could build a distinct regional following and establish a workable stadium and financing plan; the analysis does not answer those questions.
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4. Orlando
Orlando appears in the WPI market analysis, making it a grounded candidate for comparison. Its inclusion is not evidence of NFL interest. A franchise case would need to demonstrate sufficient local support, a viable stadium arrangement and a clear position within the broader Florida sports market.
5. Portland
Portland is a domestic candidate on editorial grounds, not because the reviewed sources document an NFL proposal. No current stadium plan or bid is established here. It belongs on a discussion list only until those practical prerequisites can be assessed.
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6. Sacramento
Sacramento is another market named by the WPI analysis. That makes it worth evaluating, but it does not settle questions about stadium readiness, financing, ownership or how an NFL team would fit alongside existing regional allegiances. The paper is market analysis, not an NFL decision.
7. Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City offers a useful smaller-market comparison for a league weighing geographic reach against market scale. The reviewed evidence does not verify NFL interest, a bid or a stadium plan. Its place on this list is an editorial prompt to examine those questions, not a claim that the city is close to landing a team.
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8. Toronto
Toronto has hosted an NFL regular-season international game, which demonstrates event activity in the city—not franchise readiness. An ongoing team would raise additional questions about venue arrangements, cross-border operations and whether the market could support a club. A past game cannot answer them.
9. London
London is a useful test case for the travel and scheduling demands of an international franchise. The NFL has held games there and has pursued international growth, but neither games abroad nor international marketing rights amount to a franchise proposal. A London team would have to fit into a league schedule and travel system built around a predominantly U.S. footprint.
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10. Mexico City
Mexico City has a long place in NFL international history. The league says its first regular-season game outside the United States took place there on October 2, 2005, drawing 103,467. That attendance is evidence of a major event, not proof of sustained demand for a resident franchise or an expansion bid.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the NFL’s international activity does—and does not—show
According to NFL Football Operations, 62 regular-season games had been played outside the United States heading into the 2026 season. The league lists London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto among host cities. This record shows an established international-game program; it does not show that the league intends to award a team in any of those markets.
The NFL says its Global Markets Program began in January 2022. It gives participating clubs international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization. In its 2025 announcement, the league said proposals for club rights were reviewed annually and awarded rights ran for five years. Those are marketing-program details, not franchise-expansion rules. NFL executive Peter O’Reilly described the program’s aim as connecting with fans globally; that statement concerns international marketing, not expansion.
Why this is a shortlist, not a prediction
The available sources do not offer equally current, comparable data for all ten candidates on stadium plans, financing, population, media reach, ownership groups or fan demand. Without that evidence, precise scores or claims that these are the league’s leading candidates would imply more certainty than the record supports. The list is best read as a set of markets for further comparison, with the international examples illustrating the difference between hosting games and sustaining a franchise.
Sources: WPI market-analysis paper; NFL Football Operations: International Games; NFL Global Markets Program announcement, 2025.
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