Wednesday, January 15th, 2025

COLTS CONFIRMED FOR FIRST BERLIN GAME

Craig Llewellyn

Editor

COLTS CONFIRMED FOR FIRST BERLIN GAME

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The NFL has named the Indianapolis Colts as the ‘designated team’ for the league’s first-ever regular season game in Berlin, which joins the International Series for 2025.

The game, to be played at the Olympic Stadium as part of a multi-year commitment to playing games in the German sports metropolis, is not the first to take place in Berlin as the NFL played five American Bowl games at the Olympic Stadium between 1990 and 1994, while the city was also home to NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder from 2003-07.

Germany is an important market for the NFL, with continued growth in fandom and passion for the game,” said NFL Germany general manager Alexander Steinforth. “After four successful international games in-market across Munich and Frankfurt, we’re thrilled to have the Colts as the designated team for our first-ever regular season game in Berlin, a city that holds so much football history and is a true testament to the international expansion and growth of the league.”

The Colts were granted marketing rights in Germany as part of the league’s Global Markets Programme last April, making it a distinct possibility that they would be amongst those teams under consideration for the Berlin game as they look to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S.A through fan engagement, events and commercial opportunities.

The NFL is making history in Berlin, and the Colts are proud to be part of this landmark event in one of the world’s most historic cities,” Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay said. “The NFL has become a global brand, and we’re looking forward to growing American football in Germany and expanding Colts Nation’s footprint around the world. This game also provides a unique opportunity for our local Indiana partners to engage with German businesses, customers and fans this season and in the future.”

Beyond its International Series games, the NFL is committed to growing the game at every level in Germany, engaging with fans year-round through partners, programmes and initiatives, with nine additional teams active in Germany and, in some cases, in Austria and Switzerland too. NFL Flag — the NFL’s official programme for non-contact football — was also launched in Germany three years ago, with 20,000 young girls and boys participating nationwide.

With today’s announcement of the Indianapolis Colts as the designated team of the NFL Berlin game, our joint journey with the NFL continues,” Senator for the Interior and Sports in the State of Berlin Iris Spranger noted. “This announcement is special for many Berliners, as there is a close connection to the team through Björn Werner, our NFL hero and former Colts player. We look forward to welcoming the Colts to our sports metropolis. It will be a football festival like we have never experienced in Berlin before. For the Colts. For the fans. And, as they say in Indianapolis, ‘For the shoe!’.”

The Colts’ opponent, along with game date and kickoff time, will be announced when the full 2025 NFL schedule is revealed this spring. The New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars were last week revealed as designated teams for the three games in London, leaving Madrid as the remaining European stop yet to be confirmed. The Colts have played in two regular season games internationally, in London and Frankfurt, to date.

Fans can register for information around the 2025 NFL Berlin game here: nfl.com/berlin.

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