(Reuters) – English soccer’s governing body said it is in talks with the National Football League’s (NFL) Jacksonville Jaguars to continue staging games at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The Jaguars had played at Wembley every year since 2013 and were due to feature in two games at London’s iconic venue in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NFL to scrap all international fixtures.
The NFL has staged games at Wembley since 2007 but its deal expired at the end of 2020.
England’s Football Association (FA) told Sky Sports they were involved in “positive discussions with the Jacksonville Jaguars about hosting future games at Wembley Stadium”.
“The FA maintains good relationships with the NFL and the Jacksonville Jaguars having enjoyed over a decade of hosting games at Wembley Stadium,” they added.
The NFL said on Tuesday its owners had approved a plan to expand the regular season to 17 games from 16 and that from 2022 all 32 teams would play internationally at least once every eight years.
The NFL also said scheduling of up to four games per year outside the United States would focus initially on Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom.
The Jaguars said they hoped to continue playing at Wembley, though they did not have an agreement in place.
“Our annual home games in London have strengthened our franchise … and established the Jaguars as the team to follow in London, UK and Europe,” Sky Sports quoted the team as saying.
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
