“American football” is coming back to Mexico.
The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, reported the National Football League.
The NFL’s International Series returns to Mexico City for the third straight year, previously with Raiders vs. Patriots. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the new face off.
Playing in the Mexican capital city is an idea that goes back to 1968, when Philly was to play Detroit. That game was canceled, however, and the NFL didn’t get back to Mexico City for another 10 years. when the Eagles played against the Saints.
“When we went there, they weren’t prepared,” Ron Jaworski, the Eagles’ starting quarterback that season, says of that preseason matchup. “We played in a bullring, the locker rooms were too small, and the goal posts were crooked.”
The NFL made yearly preseason visits through the 1990s and into 2001. By 2005, 103,467 fans filled Estadio Azteca for their first regular-season game outside the United States.
The NFL’s return to the country came over a decade later on “Monday Night Football,” but that was marred when a laser pointer from the stands was aimed primarily at Texans players.
“Over the past two seasons, we have seen the extraordinary passion that exists for NFL football in Mexico,” Goodell said during his Super Bowl press conference. “We are excited for another memorable event at Estadio Azteca as the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs head to Mexico City in 2018.”
Other Mexican cities are interested in hosting the NFL, but Mexico City has the league locked up contractually through the 2021 season. Beyond that, “We think that’s something we may consider in the future,” said Goodell.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN and Televisa.
