NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated his goal to hold a regular-season game in Tokyo and said he thinks it could happen in 2027 or 2028.
"Listen, Tokyo is clearly on our list, whether it's next year or the year after," Goodell told "NFL Daily" on Friday. "It's coming at some point in the near future."
The comment sets a possible timeline for the NFL to play in a city that Goodell has previously targeted. He said in July at Fanatics Fest that he hoped to bring a regular-season game to Tokyo.
Goodell said the success and lessons learned from the San Francisco 49ers-Los Angeles Rams game in Melbourne, Australia, in Week 1 could help make a game in Japan happen.
"On a Friday morning at 10:30, to have 100,000 people in the stadium, it was just an incredible feeling for us. I think it's opened up new opportunities for us," Goodell told "NFL Daily." "The travel is something we think we can manage and do it without impacting negatively on the teams. So each of these we learned something from and we benefit and we also open those other doors."
The collective bargaining agreement allows the NFL to hold up to 10 international games per season. The league is playing nine this year -- including Sunday's first-ever regular-season game in Paris between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints -- and executive vice president of club business, international and league events Peter O'Reilly said earlier this week that the bump up to 10 was under consideration for 2027.
O'Reilly also said Asia was among the "new regions" being looked at for games.
The NFL has played 14 preseason games in Japan since 1976, most recently in 2005 with the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.
