FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots today announced that they will play their Week 10 regular season home game in Frankfurt, Germany on November 12, 2023, against the Indianapolis Colts. The game will be the Patriots' first in Germany as part of the 2023 National Football League's (NFL) International Games. The game will be played at 3:30 p.m. in Frankfurt (9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time).
The Patriots’ visit to Germany will mark the team's first time playing a home international game. Since the launch of the international series in 2007, the Patriots have played three international games, including two in London and one in Mexico, and have won all three games. In 2021, the Patriots were awarded Germany as an official "home market" through the International Home Marketing Area (IHMA) initiative which has allowed the team to grow its fan base abroad and develop additional opportunities for marketing, fan engagement and business development including in-person and digital marketing opportunities, corporate sponsorships, and events in a new market. Last month, the Patriots were awarded Austria and Switzerland as official "home markets," in addition to Germany.
"Germany has some of the most passionate sports fans in the world and has always been an international leader in enthusiasm for American football and the NFL," said Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO of the New England Patriots. "I'm thrilled to play a home game in this new market and to continue to build upon our team's long history and engagement with German fans. Our goal is to connect with fans at the local level and I look forward to expanding that fan base and fostering additional relationships and opportunities for partnership in Germany as well as Austria and Switzerland."
In 2009, the Patriots drafted German native Sebastian Vollmer in the second round of the NFL Draft. During his eight-year career, he helped the Patriots to two Super Bowl championships, which propelled exponential growth among Patriots fans in Germany. In 2019, the Patriots utilized the NFL's International Player Pathway Program to develop German native Jakob Johnson into one of the premier fullbacks in the league. The Patriots became the first NFL team to provide German language content to fans through social media.
The IHMA program launched in January 2022, granting NFL clubs access to international markets for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization activations. The program was built as a long-term, strategic effort to enable clubs to build their brands globally while driving NFL fan growth beyond the US. The Patriots were granted Germany and earlier this month, expanded their international marketing rights to include Austria and Switzerland.
The Patriots first appeared in the NFL International Series in 2009 when they traveled to London to play Tampa Bay in Wembley Stadium, drawing their largest attendance of the year (84,254). The Patriots scored a 35-7 victory over the Buccaneers. Three years later, the Patriots returned to Wembley Stadium and defeated the St. Louis Rams, 45-7. Their most recent international game was played in Mexico City in 2017. That year, they beat the Oakland Raiders, 33-8. In their three international games, the Patriots have outscored their opponents 113-22.
For more information and to learn more about ticket purchases visit www.nfl.com/internationalgames.
