The NFL’s international games have typically sold pretty well and London has long been considered the top location for potential international expansion. But a recent look at ticket prices suggests that Londoners aren’t exactly eager to watch a game between two middling teams.
Ahead of Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the NFL reportedly slashed ticket prices recently in an effort to sell out the remaining seats. Tickets that previously cost $325 have now fallen all the way to $105 per seat, much to the anger of some fans.
“They don’t care about the fans. As long as that place sells out and it looks good on TV, the NFL won’t care about us,” London resident Andy Burrows told the Associated Press. “And I’m not alone. I speak to fans every day.”
“People now will just be like, ’I’m going to wait. Why should I buy a ticket when they get released?’… That’s the risk they’ve done — depending on the games.”
Slashing prices right before a game – especially by more than 50-percent as the league did here – is a massive risk as it raises the potential for fans to simply not purchase tickets in advance and wait until prices drop, which raises the risk that many will get outright frustrated and not attend future games.
“Stop the International Games”
The price slashing is just further ammo for the many fans who continue to demand that the NFL stop putting on international games.
“These foreign games are a slap in the face to American fans, generally, and to season ticket holders, specifically,” one user declared. “Imagine paying for season tix to the Niners and that price not including the best matchup of the season against the Rams.”
“Go from slow sales to no sales and stop doing these stupid overseas games,” wrote another.
“Good! Hopefully this keeps happening the more international games they add,” a third wrote.
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In Week 5, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will see the Jacksonville Jaguars play the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that has not seen ticket prices dip.
The following week, the Jaguars will again be in London for a game against the rival Houston Texans.
