31% of U.S. Travelers Want Sports Trips and the NFL Is Giving Them More Reasons to Go

For decades, following your NFL team on the road meant another American city, a weekend hotel stay and perhaps a little sightseeing before kickoff. The away trip looks very different in 2026. Fans can have tapas in Madrid, a pint in London, a beach day in Rio de Janeiro or a long-haul trip to Melbourne.

The NFL’s 2026 international schedule includes a record nine regular-season games across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris are hosting regular-season games for the first time this season, joining established stops in London, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City.

“The idea of planning an entire vacation around an NFL game was a lot more niche ten years ago, something only the most die-hard fans might travel for,” said Peggy Goldman, founder and president of Friendly Planet Travel. “Today, people are increasingly planning trips around moments and experiences they’re passionate about.”

Where NFL Travel Demand Is Growing

Sojern data shows flight and hotel bookings across the NFL’s international host cities are down 10.6% year over year, largely because of softer demand surrounding London. In five markets that did not host an NFL game at the same venue last year, flight bookings are up 2.2% and hotel bookings 6.9%.

“The newest and freshest stops, particularly Melbourne and Paris, are generating real excitement,” said Sylvia Weiler, president and general manager of Global Destinations at Sojern. “Fans are booking weeks ahead and building entire trips around these games, which suggests this is more than casual interest.”

London still dominates the NFL’s international travel market, accounting for roughly 71% of flight volume across this season’s overseas schedule. The city hosts three games this fall, including the Philadelphia Eagles against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 11. The teams last met in London eight years ago at Wembley.

For Philadelphia-based Friendly Planet Travel, the Eagles matchup was personal.

“We’re a Philadelphia-born and based company, so when we heard the Eagles were playing an international game again this year, we immediately started thinking about how we could make the experience easy and accessible for fans,” Goldman said.

The resulting five-day London itinerary includes airfare, accommodations, transfers, game tickets and unscheduled time to explore the city.

“The game is certainly the hook, especially for passionate fans, but London is what turns it into a vacation,” Goldman said.

Newer NFL Stops Are Seeing the Biggest Search Spikes

HomeToGo’s 2026 Travel Forecast found nearly one-third of U.S. travelers are interested in planning trips around sports games and competitions. U.S. vacation-rental searches up 228% in Munich ahead of the Patriots-Lions game, 107% in Rio de Janeiro before Ravens-Cowboys and 74% around the 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne.

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Melbourne requires a far bigger commitment from most North American fans, and Sojern’s booking data shows many travelers planned well ahead of the Sept. 10 game. Rio followed the same early-booking pattern, with roughly three-quarters of reservations in place well before the Sept. 27 matchup.

In Mexico City, 57% of inbound bookers came from the United States, including a noticeable cluster from the San Francisco Bay Area ahead of the 49ers’ game. The NFL has already committed to games in Mexico City through 2028.

Taken together, those destinations make the international schedule look as much like a travel calendar as a football one. Some fans will still fly in, see the game and head home. Others will build the rest of the vacation around kickoff.

Planning an International NFL Trip

The excitement of following a team overseas can fade quickly when hotel rates climb and the destination is unfamiliar.

“The biggest challenge is that these events come at a high expense, as the events cause major demand in these markets,” said Rob DelliBovi, founder and CEO of RDB Hospitality, which handles sports travel for executives and high-net-worth clients.

He said travelers also need to think through details that feel routine at home, from choosing the right neighborhood to understanding local transportation and customs.

“These markets are often literally foreign to the average sports fan, so not only do they not know the areas, they don’t know the culture, and the do’s and don’ts,” DelliBovi said.

Accommodation is often where that pressure shows up first. Accommodation is often where that pressure shows up first. HomeToGo advises travelers to book accommodation early, especially if stadium proximity or a specific budget matters.

Availability is only part of the equation. Where you stay can matter just as much for the rest of the trip. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is well north of many of London’s most popular sightseeing areas, so choosing a hotel solely for stadium proximity can make the rest of the trip less convenient. The same question comes up in unfamiliar cities, where fans may not know which neighborhoods work best for dining, sightseeing, public transportation and game-day access.

That is why many sports-travel packages cover much more than admission to the game. Friendly Planet’s Eagles-Jaguars package includes airfare, accommodations, airport and game-day transfers, leaving travelers more time to decide what to see in London before and after the game.

For some fans, the souvenir will be a jersey or a ticket stub. For others, the souvenir may be the first stamp in a passport, a new favorite city or a trip they had been talking about for years but never quite booked.

The away game has become something much bigger: a reason to finally book the vacation.