Don’t be surprised to see the Titans play an international game in the NFL’s record-setting 2026 slate for this glaring reason

Could the 2026 Tennessee Titans be heading abroad in 2026?

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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The Monday of Super Bowl week kicked off with a flurry of news on the NFL International Series in 2026. The program began in 2005 with one game in Mexico City, and has expanded rapidly in the past decade as the league looks to expand their sphere of influence overseas.

In 2026, at least eight international games are confirmed to be taking place. And just reading the tea leaves, it would make a lot of sense for the Titans to be assigned one of them.

Why to keep an eye out for an international Titans game in 2026

Since 2016, the NFL has played at least four games out of the country in every season that wasn’t impacted by Covid (none in 2020, 2 in 2021).

The record number was increased from 5 to 7 games played in 2025, and 2026 is already scheduled to have at least one more. Eight games means that exactly half the league will need to renew their passports before the fall unless a team doubles up, which we’ve seen happen a couple of times.

The Titans have played twice in London, against the Chargers in a 2018 “away” game and then against the Ravens in a 2023 “home” game. The league guarantees every franchise will host an international game at least once every eight years, giving up a precious home date. This rule was implemented in conjunction with the 17-game schedule in 2021/2022, when the AFC and NFC began alternating 8/9 home games each season.

It’s often inferred that teams with nine home games are more likely—perhaps volunteering—to play “home” games abroad so as to maintain a “full” slate of 8 gamedays in their actual stadium. In 2026, the NFC has the ninth home game.

Having sacrificed a home game in 2023, the Titans aren’t technically required to do so again until 2031. But as we see every year, the international games aren’t handled with perfect fairness at top of mind. The schedule makers are increasingly focused on matchups that make the most sense and inspire excitement. This means seemingly higher quality teams being sent to play in these standalone windows, with an additional focus on entrenched international fanbases and the NFL’s Global Market’s Program (GMP).

This is why we see at least one Jaguars game in London each year, for example. They’ve gone from “lesser” team the NFL threw overseas each year to a franchise with a legitimate following.

But the Titans only just recently got added to the GMP with a stake in Ireland, so what reason is there to think they may play abroad in 2026?

The biggest reason is New Nissan Stadium. Their magnificent new home is set to open in 2027 with nine Titans home games. The multi-billion dollar investment by both Titans ownership and the state of Tennessee is going to be full-throttle the first handful of years while it’s shiny and new, working to maximize exposure and profit.

I think it stands to reason that Titans leadership could be interested in getting an international showing “out of the way” in a season mostly intended to build hype for 2027 both on and off the field. They aren’t expecting to field a Super Bowl roster just yet, and it’s their last season in what I will affectionately call a total dump of a stadium here in Nashville.

Year 2 of Cam Ward and Year 1 of Robert Saleh are marketable, though. And for a team unlikely to get more than one primetime game on their schedule, signing up for an international showing could add exposure in that way.

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