Packers will have a monster advantage in 2026, and they have the NFL to thank for it

Green Bay won’t host any international games.

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer
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Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; The Green Bay Packers line up for a play during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field.
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For the first time ever, the NFL will have nine international games in a season. The United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and France will host regular season games in 2026, and it’s natural for teams to want to avoid those. Logistics and physical wear and tear of longer trips can be real.

However, the Green Bay Packers are set to have a big advantage in 2026. The league has already announced the designated home teams for every international game, and the Packers won’t lose any Lambeau Field game this upcoming season.

NFL international games in 2026

  • Melbourne, Australia — San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — TBD at Dallas Cowboys
  • Madrid, Spain — TBD at Atlanta Falcons
  • Mexico City, Mexico — TBD at San Francisco 49ers
  • Munich, Germany — TBD at Detroit Lions
  • Paris, France — TBD at New Orleans Saints
  • London, UK — TBD at Jacksonville Jaguars
  • London, UK — TBD at Jacksonville Jaguars
  • London, UK — TBD at Washington Commanders

Nine games at Lambeau Field

Since the NFL adopted the 17-game schedule, there is a rotation between NFC and AFC teams to determine which teams play eight or nine home games in a given year. In 2026, NFC teams will have nine home games — and because the Packers won’t lose any of them to international sites, Green Bay will actually have nine regular season games next season.

A similar thing happened in 2024. The Packers did open their season in Brazil, but it was a road game against the Philadelphia Eagles. So the Packers ended up playing nine home games, seven road games, and one neutral game in São Paulo.

Back in 2022, though, the Packers did host the game against the New York Giants in London, playing eight home games in Wisconsin.

Possible international games

The Packers will have nine games at Lambeau Field, but they may still have to play abroad in 2026. Eight of the nine road teams for the international games are yet to be determined, and the Packers will be a road opponent for two of them — the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints.

The Lions are going to host a game in Munich, Germany. For the Packers, playing a divisional matchup with potentially huge playoff seeding implications on a neutral site wouldn’t be a bad outcome whatsoever. Meanwhile, the Saints will play the NFL’s first game in Paris, France.

International games are just part of the NFL schedule now, and American fans have to accept that there is more interest in the NFL than ever before outside of the United States. But for the Packers specifically, the extra home game is great news heading into 2026, even if playing abroad may still be on the table.

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