For the first time in its 86-year history, the NFL will play a regular-season game outside the United States on October 2 when the Arizona Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City, Mexico, the NFL announced today.
The Sunday night game at Estadio Azteca will be televised live at 8:30 PM ET in the U.S. on ESPN. Televisa will provide live television coverage throughout Mexico.
“Mexico is the country with the most NFL fans outside of the United States,” said NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE. “Our fans in Mexico are knowledgeable and passionate and they are ready for this next step. They have supported our American Bowl games in record numbers and NFL programming has been part of television in Mexico for many decades. The Cardinals and 49ers play in markets with large Hispanic communities, including many people of Mexican decent. This game will generate new excitement both in Mexico and in Hispanic communities throughout the United States, and it promises to become a milestone in the NFL’s history as a global sport.”
The Cardinals will be the home team. The club will shift one of its eight regular-season home games from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to Estadio Azteca – site of the largest crowd in NFL history. On August 15, 1994, 112,376 fans filled the stadium for an American Bowl game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers.
Arizona has an in-state Hispanic population of more than 25 percent, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The Cardinals have a rapidly growing fan base south of the border, fuelled by the club’s aggressive outreach to the Hispanic community. Approximately 67 percent of U.S. Hispanics trace their origin to Mexico.
Cardinals ties to Mexico include offensive lineman ROLANDO CANTU, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and former NFL kicker LUIS ZENDEJAS -- a native of Mexico City – who is the club’s director of community relations.
"The Cardinals are honored to have been selected for this historic and unprecedented game," said MICHAEL BIDWILL, the team's vice president and general counsel. "When we learned of the league's interest in staging an international regular-season game we felt the Cardinals would be a natural fit this season for a number of reasons. Cultivating the Hispanic fan base has been a long-standing priority, and our final season at Sun Devil Stadium certainly provides the optimal timing to host the game this season. We couldn't be more excited about the direction in which our organization is headed. This game will provide a phenomenal opportunity to showcase the Cardinals to a national and international audience."
The 49ers have been one of the NFL’s most popular franchises worldwide.
San Francisco has played in eight international games as part of the NFL’s American Bowl series of preseason games, the second most of any franchise (Dallas, 9).
The Cardinals took part in an NFL international milestone in 1976. On August 16 of that year, they played in the league’s first game outside North America -- a 20-10 preseason victory over San Diego in Tokyo, Japan.
The American Bowl series of preseason games, instituted in 1986 in response to growing worldwide interest in the NFL, has averaged 58,345 fans in 39 games with more than 2.2 million people worldwide experiencing the excitement of the NFL in person. The Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons will play in the 40th American Bowl on August 6 in Tokyo.
The Sunday night game at Estadio Azteca will be televised live at 8:30 PM ET in the U.S. on ESPN. Televisa will provide live television coverage throughout Mexico.
“Mexico is the country with the most NFL fans outside of the United States,” said NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE. “Our fans in Mexico are knowledgeable and passionate and they are ready for this next step. They have supported our American Bowl games in record numbers and NFL programming has been part of television in Mexico for many decades. The Cardinals and 49ers play in markets with large Hispanic communities, including many people of Mexican decent. This game will generate new excitement both in Mexico and in Hispanic communities throughout the United States, and it promises to become a milestone in the NFL’s history as a global sport.”
The Cardinals will be the home team. The club will shift one of its eight regular-season home games from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to Estadio Azteca – site of the largest crowd in NFL history. On August 15, 1994, 112,376 fans filled the stadium for an American Bowl game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers.
Arizona has an in-state Hispanic population of more than 25 percent, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The Cardinals have a rapidly growing fan base south of the border, fuelled by the club’s aggressive outreach to the Hispanic community. Approximately 67 percent of U.S. Hispanics trace their origin to Mexico.
Cardinals ties to Mexico include offensive lineman ROLANDO CANTU, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and former NFL kicker LUIS ZENDEJAS -- a native of Mexico City – who is the club’s director of community relations.
"The Cardinals are honored to have been selected for this historic and unprecedented game," said MICHAEL BIDWILL, the team's vice president and general counsel. "When we learned of the league's interest in staging an international regular-season game we felt the Cardinals would be a natural fit this season for a number of reasons. Cultivating the Hispanic fan base has been a long-standing priority, and our final season at Sun Devil Stadium certainly provides the optimal timing to host the game this season. We couldn't be more excited about the direction in which our organization is headed. This game will provide a phenomenal opportunity to showcase the Cardinals to a national and international audience."
The 49ers have been one of the NFL’s most popular franchises worldwide.
San Francisco has played in eight international games as part of the NFL’s American Bowl series of preseason games, the second most of any franchise (Dallas, 9).
The Cardinals took part in an NFL international milestone in 1976. On August 16 of that year, they played in the league’s first game outside North America -- a 20-10 preseason victory over San Diego in Tokyo, Japan.
The American Bowl series of preseason games, instituted in 1986 in response to growing worldwide interest in the NFL, has averaged 58,345 fans in 39 games with more than 2.2 million people worldwide experiencing the excitement of the NFL in person. The Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons will play in the 40th American Bowl on August 6 in Tokyo.
