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Afternoon Edition

February 2, 2026

The NFL is headed to France. And Spain. And Germany, Australia, and Brazil. In a press conference Monday in San Francisco ahead of Super Bowl LX, the NFL announced a record slate of eight international games for the 2026–27 season. The league will return to Madrid, where the Commanders and Dolphins played in November, and now for the first time, Stade de France will host a regular-season NFL game.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Ben Horney [[link removed]], and Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]

NFL Unveils Record International Slate, With Games in Madrid, Paris [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

SAN FRANCISCO — The NFL’s international plan for the 2026 season is now at an unprecedented scale as the league has completed agreements to return to Spain and play in France for the first time.

The multiyear pact with Madrid political leaders and LaLiga’s Real Madrid involves the league returning for another global game at the club’s Bernabéu Stadium. The Commanders and Dolphins played there in November to cap a seven-game international slate in the 2025 schedule. The game, won by Miami 16–13 in overtime, drew a robust crowd of 78,610, and NFL officials called the event “a pivotal moment for the sport in Spain.”

The return engagement will seek to advance the NFL’s presence in another important European country for the league. The upcoming game, meanwhile, will also take further advantage of a $1.6 billion renovation to Bernabéu Stadium completed in late 2024.

The Bears, Chiefs, and Dolphins have rights to Spain in the NFL’s Global Markets Program [[link removed]].

Paris Engagement

Shortly after the early Monday announcement of the Spain deal, the NFL unveiled a separate pact with French authorities to ​​play a game at Stade de France—the country’s national stadium—with the Saints named as one of the participating teams.

Paris, of course, was the site of the hugely successful 2024 Summer Olympics, and France has long been an economic and cultural power across Europe. The inclusion of the Saints will, in part, look to link between the French heritage in Louisiana and the Paris setting.

“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris,” said Saints owner Gayle Benson.

The Saints are currently the only team with French rights in the Global Markets Program.

Growing Globally

The Spain and France deals, meanwhile, advance what will be a record level of NFL overseas games in 2026. The following cities are already confirmed for next season:

Madrid Paris Rio de Janeiro in a similar return to Brazil Munich, in a continuation of annual games in Germany that are set through at least 2029 [[link removed]]. Eleven of 32 NFL teams have rights to Germany in the Global Markets Program, a figure higher than any other country Melbourne in a first-ever regular-season game for the NFL in Australia. The Rams will be the designated home team in that contest Three games in London

That eight-game international slate exceeds the seven played in 2025 [[link removed]] and had been previously identified as a minimum baseline for the league in future seasons. The NFL, however, continues to actively consider other countries for games, including Mexico, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia, among others.

“We’ve laid out a dozen or 13 priority markets, and we’re starting to do the due diligence,” said NFL EVP Peter O’Reilly during the league’s fall meeting [[link removed]].

The full 2026 schedule will be released in May, but the planned international games will be known before then.

More broadly, the NFL has made no secret of its goal [[link removed]] to ultimately reach a full season of international games. Most recently, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said [[link removed]] that “we’re going to push like the dickens now to make international more important with us.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Breakfast Ball Takes San Francisco

Breakfast Ball [[link removed]] is back for its second edition—and this year, we’re headed to the Bay Area with official partners Thomas’ Bagels and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, plus activation partners USGA, Flag & Anthem, Olukai, REAL, Rumpl, Nomatic, Bacardi, and SWAG Golf.

Breakfast Ball 2026 will be hosted by San Francisco legends and NFL Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Featuring both a celebrity pro-am and hospitality space, this event will be the ideal weekend kickoff leading up to the Big Game.

In partnership with Excel Sports Management, last year’s inaugural event brought together athletes, executives, celebrities, and creators in New Orleans. Now, we’re taking things to the next level with an unforgettable day at the iconic TPC Harding Park Golf Course on Friday, Feb. 6.

Space is extremely limited. This is your last chance to request to attend [[link removed]] for a chance to join.

Seahawks Expected to Hit Market After Trail Blazers Sale Closes [[link removed]]

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

That the Seahawks will be sold this year is one of the NFL’s worst-kept secrets.

The team will be put on the market this year, but the process won’t begin in earnest until after the sale of the NBA’s Trail Blazers has closed, a source familiar with the matter tells Front Office Sports. That’s expected in March [[link removed]].

A sale of the Seahawks would be in line with the wishes of the late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who mandated the eventual sale of his sports holdings before he died in 2018. Those assets included the Seahawks, the Blazers, and a 25% stake in MLS’s Seattle Sounders (Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, serves as executor and trustee of the Paul G. Allen estate).

A group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon agreed to buy the Blazers [[link removed]] at a valuation north of $4 billion in August, a few months after the NBA team was put up for sale in May [[link removed]]. At the time, however, the Allen estate made it clear that the Seahawks were not for sale.

As the Seahawks prepare to play the Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, reports about an anticipated sale have begun trickling out. Bloomberg reported on Jan. 16 [[link removed]] that while the team is not yet for sale, “officials at the NFL and other owners are keen for the Seahawks to be sold.” Last week, ESPN reported [[link removed]] the team will go up for sale after the Super Bowl, and that “sale discussions have taken place at ownership and league levels for at least the past week.”

After that, The Wall Street Journal reported [[link removed]] the team is expected to be put up for sale “shortly after” the Super Bowl. That report also said the NFL has been so “frustrated” with the fact that the team has not yet been sold that it levied a $5 million fine against the Seahawks “for being out of compliance with ownership requirements.” The league has denied that the team was fined. When reached by FOS, a spokesperson for the Allen estate referred to the NFL’s comment when asked about the fine.

The March timeline also aligns with what a spokesperson for Allen’s estate told ESPN. They said the “team is not for sale,” and added that “we’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

Whether the Seahawks are formally put on the block right after the Super Bowl or the following month remains to be seen, but what’s clear is that—barring a shocking development—they will be the next NFL team sold. The most recent change-of-control sale was the Commanders, which controversial former owner Dan Snyder sold in 2023 [[link removed]] to a group led by Josh Harris, in a deal valued at $6.05 billion.

The Seahawks are widely expected to fetch more than that. Pro sports franchise valuations—not just in the NFL—have been on an upward trajectory, and experts see no reason for that to abate [[link removed]]. The Giants were valued at $10 billion in the sale of a 10% stake [[link removed]] to the Kochs in September, for example.

Who Will Buy Them?

When the Seahawks are inevitably made available, one name will without a doubt be among the rumored suitors: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Bezos, who Forbes currently ranks [[link removed]] as the fourth-richest person in the world with a net worth of $254 billion, has been linked to NFL teams in the past, including the Commanders [[link removed]] and Broncos [[link removed]]. The Seahawks could be a natural fit, as Seattle is the primary headquarters of Amazon.

Bezos is not the only ultra-rich businessperson with strong ties to the area, though.

“There are a bunch of Microsoft millionaires or billionaires in the Seattle area, including people who are on the cap tables for the Seattle Sounders and Kraken,” says one legal industry source who advises on sports deals.

Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is another natural candidate. He lives in Seattle’s metropolitan area and tried multiple times to keep the SuperSonics in the city before the team moved to Oklahoma City, and he pivoted toward buying the Clippers. With a net worth of more than $150 billion, Ballmer could buy the team without needing to raise additional capital.

The Sounders are majority-owned by Adrian Hanauer, who is also a part-owner of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. Other names who could come up once the Seahawks formally become available include Harry Sloan, David Nathanson, and Samantha Holloway, the daughter of the late billionaire David Bonderman, who owns the Kraken. Holloway has previously told FOS [[link removed]] she’s interested in bringing the NBA back to Seattle.

The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Stadium Series ⬆ Raymond James Stadium hosted the latest NHL outdoor game, with the Lightning defeating the Bruins 6–5 in a shootout. The matchup was sold out, with the NHL reporting an attendance of 64,617. Despite being in Tampa, the game was played in hockey weather, with the temperature at puck drop coming in at 42°F.

Eugenio Suárez ⬆⬇ The longtime Red is returning to Cincinnati, agreeing to a one-year, $15 million deal with a mutual option for 2027. Last season, Suárez hit 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs between his time with the Diamondbacks and Mariners. Despite that success, he was able to land only a one-year deal, falling way short of the three-year, $60 million–plus contract that multiple outlets projected him to sign.

Barry Trotz ⬇ The Predators’ GM announced Monday that he will be stepping down from his role and retiring at the conclusion of the season. Trotz returned to Nashville in July 2023, this time joining the front office after serving as the team’s head coach from 1998 to 2014. Since he was hired as GM, the Predators are 102-97-19, reaching the playoffs during the 2023–24 season.

PGA Tour Live Betcast ⬆ The PGA Tour, ESPN, and DraftKings announced the launch of the Betcast, which will air during 12 marquee events. The broadcast will premiere Thursday at the WM Phoenix Open and will feature “golf-related betting discussion, live betting analysis, upcoming previews, tournament features and more.”

Editors’ Picks Super Bowl LX Is a Contrast in Special Teams Spending [[link removed]]by Griffin Senyek [[link removed]]Rookies hold a higher Super Bowl field goal percentage than non-rookies. All the Sports Figures in the Latest Epstein Emails [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The DOJ released millions of new records Friday. Disney Says YouTube Carriage Fight Cost $110M Last Quarter [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The newly closed deal with the NFL has an estimated $3 billion value. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you rank the top five PGA Tour players by lowest scoring average during the 2025 season?

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Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Games [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Shop [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Ben Horney [[link removed]], Alex Schiffer [[link removed]] Edited by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]], Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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