La Jornada – The NFL could return to Mexico and the UK in 2021

Angels. The NFL plans to play international matches again in 2021 in Mexico and the United Kingdom, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday at a press conference ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl game.

In its 2020 schedule, the NFL planned to play one regular season match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and four more in London, two of them at Wembley Stadium and two more at Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the spread of the coronavirus pandemic led the NFL to cancel all of these games in May, and celebrating them is now on the table again.

“We are planning international matches for 2021. This is the strategy we will take. We remain in close contact with our partners in the UK and Mexico to make sure we do it safely,” said Goodell.

“If at any time we feel that we cannot implement it safely, we will decide,” he said. “Last year, we decided not to play international matches (…) after consulting not only our medical officials, but also seeing, along with the Players’ Union, the risks of having the entire group travel to a stadium where we were not going to be able to implement our protocols. “

“We hope to return, and we are planning for it, and we will make this decision when we have enough information to do so,” he said.

In 2020, the pandemic forced the NFL to cancel the pre-season period and suspend several campaign matches, which will conclude with the Super Bowl played on Sunday by the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending champions, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida. ).