American football in the Azteca NFL eyes Mexico

The National Football League is studying the possibility of staging regular season games in Mexico but reports that a five-year deal had already been agreed were premature, a spokesman said Friday.

NFL spokesman Michael Signora told Pro Football Talk that officials had carried out scouting missions of venues in Mexico which could be suitable for staging games in future.

The NFL has staged a regular season match in Mexico before, in 2005, when a record crowd of 103,467 crammed into Mexico City's iconic Estadio Azteca to watch the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

"We are pleased with the growth in fan demand and the increased partner support we have enjoyed in recent years," Signora said.

"With this in mind, we are actively assessing the opportunity to play games in Mexico. We have visited several stadiums in recent months, and are analyzing what needs to be done to bring games to Mexico.

"It is premature to comment specifically as to when this will happen, let alone how many, if any, games might be played."

Reports in Spanish media said the NFL had agreed to play five regular season games in Mexico -- one per year -- starting in either 2017 or 2018.

The NFL already plays regular season games at London's Wembley Stadium and is looking at other potential sites in Germany and Brazil.
Source: AFP