The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are working to build a presence in Germany, and next fall they will have an opportunity to bring their product directly to the German people.
On Monday, the NFL announced that the Buccaneers would be designated to play an International Series game in Munich, Germany, during the 2022 season. It will be the first regular-season NFL game ever played in Germany.
"We look forward to participating in the first regular season NFL game in Munich, Germany later this fall as part of the International Series," said Buccaneers Owner/Co-Chairman Joel Glazer. "This historic game will play a crucial role in the NFL's efforts to grow its international footprint while allowing us to directly engage NFL fans in Germany."
The Buccaneers' opponent for the game at FC Bayern Munich Stadium, as well as the date and kickoff time, will be announced in conjunction with the release of the league's full 2022 schedule later in the spring. Fans can register their interest in attending the 2022 game in Munich and sign up to receive additional information at www.nfl.com/munich.
Last year, as part of the League's expansion of the regular season to 17 games, it was determined that, beginning with the 2022 season, up to four of the teams from the conference whose teams were eligible for a ninth regular-season home game would instead be designated to play a neutral-site international game each year. Each of the league's 32 teams will be designated for one international matchup every eight years. This year, in addition to the landmark game in Munich, the Buccaneers will also have eight regular-season games at Raymond James Stadium. Krewe members will receive e-mail communication regarding how their season passes are impacted by the game in Germany.
In December, the Buccaneers were one of four teams granted access to a new International Home Marketing Area (IHMA) in Germany, along with the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. In all 26 teams have been granted access to IHMAs in eight different countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, German, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom. The awarding of IHMAs and the International Series games are separate initiatives but the NFL indicated that it would make an effort to have teams play games in their new markets. The NFL will stage four games in Germany over the next four seasons, in Munich and in Frankfurt.
The IHMAs allow teams a five-year window in which they can take advantage of opportunities for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization in their designated countries that will allow them to build their local brands and help the NFL expand internationally. In this case, that includes an actual game played by one of the NFL's most successful teams in recent seasons. The Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV at the end of the 2020 campaign and followed with a 13-4 record in 2021, tied for the league's best regular-season mark, and a trip to the NFC Divisional Playoff round.
The Buccaneers have played three regular-season games abroad, all in London. Tampa Bay was the designated team for contests at London's Wembley Stadium in 2009 and 2011, against the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears, respectively. In 2019, the Buccaneers went back to London to take on the Carolina Panthers, again serving as the designated team.
Since the 2005-06 season, FC Bayern Munich Stadium has been the home of FC Bayern Munich, the most successful German team in history. The team has won 30 national championships, 20 domestic cups and six UEFA Champions League titles. FC Bayern Munich Stadium has a capacity between 70,000 and 75,000 and is the first stadium in the world with an exterior that can fully change colors from white to red to blue thanks to inflatable ETFE-foil air panels.
Join the Season Pass Priority List today! We have an incredible 2022 home schedule*, including matchups against the Super Bowl Champion Rams, AFC Champion Bengals, Packers, Seahawks, Ravens, NFC South rivals and Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs coming to Raymond James Stadium for a Super Bowl LV rematch. *One game to be played in Munich, Germany as part of the NFL international series.
