Look out, world — American football is going long as it expands its global reach. National Football League officials said Wednesday that more than 62 million people outside the U.S. watched this year’s Super Bowl, a 10% increase from 2023.
A new NFL report noted viewership gains in Canada, Mexico, China, the United Kingdom and Australia.
“The global interest in our game continues to grow rapidly, from fandom to participation, and the increase in international viewership underlines this,” Peter O’Reilly, the league’s executive vice president of club business, major events & international, said in a statement. “The Super Bowl is a moment that fuses sport and entertainment like nothing else, and Super Bowl LVIII was no exception.”
Australia saw the biggest uptick in viewers of the Kansas City Chiefs’ overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers, up 26% in 2024. Mexico and Canada led overall viewership with 24.1 and 18.8 million viewers, respectively.
According to Nielsen measurements, this year’s Super Bowl was the most-watched television event ever. More than 200 million people tuned into the game in the U.S., where the NFL has long been the dominant sports league.
In 2024, the NFL continued to stretch its international presence, hosting Super Bowl watch parties in 30 global locations through a collaboration with the State Department.
“The global growth of the game is a major strategic focus for the league and the 32 teams, and we look forward to continued momentum in the coming years,” O’Reilly said.
In an effort to boost its global fan base, the league will host a game this year in Brazil for the first time ever, in addition to games in the United Kingdom and Germany. Officials have expressed interest in hosting future regular season match-ups in Mexico and Spain.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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