NFL and Bundesliga extend their partnership five days before Patriots-Lions in Munich, and Roger Goodell says the leagues will “continue to learn from each other”

The NFL and the Bundesliga have extended the agreement that has tied America’s biggest sports league to Germany’s top soccer league since 2022. The two leagues announced on Tuesday that they have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding, five days before the Patriots and Lions play at FC Bayern Munich’s stadium in the league’s next game in Germany.

⚽️🏈 The #Bundesliga and the @NFL have announced an extension of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ➡️ pic.x.com/e3e1PO4bXX

— BUNDESLIGA (@Bundesliga_DE) November 10, 2026

What the two leagues agreed

The memorandum is a cooperation agreement, not a contract for games. In the joint announcement, the leagues said they will keep working together on cross-sport projects, innovation, digital and experiential marketing, and shared content, and will “share best practices” on serving fans in North America, Germany and beyond. They also said they would support each other’s work on NFL games and Bundesliga projects.

The announcement did not say how long the extension runs, and it did not name any new NFL games in Germany.

Goodell: “learn from each other”

Commissioner Roger Goodell framed the renewal as part of the league’s push abroad. “The partnership between the NFL and the Bundesliga demonstrates the value of bringing two of the world’s leading sports leagues together,” he said. “By extending our collaboration, we can continue to learn from each other, create new experiences for fans and explore innovative ways to grow our sports in Germany, the United States and around the world.”

For the Bundesliga, the deal is mainly about the American market. “The renewal of our MOU with the NFL is a pivotal step in the Bundesliga’s continued expansion in the United States,” Bundesliga CEO Steffen Merkel said. “This collaboration not only deepens the connection between the NFL and Bundesliga but also plays a key role in our overall growth strategy in the US market.”

Five games in Bundesliga stadiums so far

Germany has become one of the NFL’s most reliable international markets since the first agreement. The leagues counted five regular-season NFL games in Bundesliga stadiums over the past four years, in Munich at FC Bayern’s arena, in Frankfurt at Eintracht’s stadium and in Berlin at Hertha’s Olympic Stadium. Sunday’s Patriots-Lions game in Munich, at 9:30 a.m. ET, will be the sixth.

The partnership has also produced events off the field. Former Bayern defender Rafinha joined former Patriots Brian Hoyer and Sebastian Vollmer at a watch party before the Patriots hosted the Bills in December 2025. Borussia Dortmund great Patrick Owomoyela announced the Steelers’ sixth-round pick at the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh. And on September 22, Adam Vinatieri set a Guinness World Records mark by kicking a field goal in the Swiss Alps at an altitude of 3,454 meters, with former Bayern striker Giovane Elber as his holder.

Bundesliga figures have also attended the last two Super Bowls, with Claudio Pizarro and Roman Weidenfeller representing the league in New Orleans and San Francisco.

Why it matters this week

The renewal lands in the middle of the NFL’s busiest international stretch. The Bengals beat the Falcons in Madrid on Sunday (our recap), the Patriots and Lions meet in Munich this Sunday, and the Vikings play in Mexico City on November 22 in the last international game of the season. Fan events in Munich are already set, as laid out in our Munich fan guide, and the full history of the league’s games abroad is in our interactive on the league’s games abroad.