London rewarded with third NFL game for 2014

American football organisers impressed by success of two games hosted by British capital.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will likely play at Wembley Stadium, London. Tom Gannam / AP Photo
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NEW YORK // The roaring success of the two NFL games played in London will see them host a third one in the 2014 season, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Tuesday.

Jacksonville, Atlanta and Oakland will all play home matches at Wembley Stadium which sees the NFL assign three fixtures abroad for the first time in their history.

Both the opponents and the dates will be announced at a later date.

“Our fans in the UK have continued to demonstrate that they love football and want more,” said Goodell.

“Both of this year’s games in London sold out quickly. The fan enthusiasm for our sport continues to grow.

“By playing two games in the UK this year, we are creating more fans. We hope that with three games in London next year we will attract even more people to our game.”

The first of the two games programmed for this season took place on September 29 which saw the Minnesota Vikings beat the Pittsburg Steelers in front of 83,000 spectators.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will welcome the San Francisco 49ers on October 27 as part of the deal that the Jaguars play a match at Wembley for the next four seasons.

sports@thenational.ae