NFL Fever in Germany: Why Millions of Fans Love American Football
Published on
by Kristin Podewils
In November 2025, an NFL match was held on German soil for the fifth time. Following Munich and Frankfurt, Berlin became the third host city, where the Indianapolis Colts took on the Atlanta Falcons. As in previous years, all tickets sold out completely within minutes – with up to 500,000 fans queuing at times. American football is booming in Germany like never before and is developing into one of the NFL’s most dynamic growth markets.
In this Insight:
NFL International Games
The NFL has long recognised German fans’ huge enthusiasm for American football and, consequently, the marketing potential for the sport. It is therefore no surprise that plans are firmly in place for further NFL games in Germany in the coming years. Germany Games are firmly scheduled as part of the regular season up to and including 2029. Munich is already scheduled to host the 2026 game, and Berlin has also been confirmed for 2027 and 2029. The demand for further games is clearly there: according to the organisers, they could have sold around three million tickets for the very first Germany Game in November 2022 at Munich’s Allianz Arena. As part of the NFL’s global expansion strategy, further “International Games” are already being held on a regular basis in London, Mexico City, Ireland and Spain, with further expansion planned for 2026.
The popularity of the sport in Germany is evident every year in the Super Bowl viewing figures. In 1999, 580,000 viewers watched the first Super Bowl broadcast free-to-air in Germany. By 2025, the TV audience had tripled to 1.55 million, and in 2026, up to 1.87 million viewers tuned in to watch the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots.
Broadcasting rights in Germany
From the 2023/24 season onwards, the RTL Group has secured a comprehensive rights package for the first time, taking over from ProSiebenSat.1 after ten years of NFL broadcasts. “American football is the second most popular sport in this country among 14- to 49-year-olds, after football,” said RTL, explaining its decision to acquire the rights. The relaxed NFL programmes on ProSiebenSat.1, which are also well suited to newcomers, have further increased enthusiasm for American football in recent years. Broadcasting by the RTL Group is likely to have given the sport an even wider reach. At the same time, NFL games are also available to stream on DAZN. Since 2023, DAZN has also been offering the NFL Game Pass, which allows viewers to watch not only selected matches but all NFL games live and as replays.
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20,9 m
NFL fans in Germany
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3.6 m
of the German fans follow the NFL closely
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54 %
of NFL fans are between 16 and 39 years old
Why is American Football so popular in Germany?
According to NFL figures, there are around 19 million fans in Germany, 3.6 million of whom follow the NFL closely. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) lists 500 registered American football teams with more than 70,000 members. Where does this keen interest come from?
Whether it’s music, film or sport – German culture is heavily influenced by American culture. Many German fans first discover and fall in love with American football during a school exchange at a high school, a semester abroad at a US college or as an au pair with an American family. However, it is not just the sport’s combination of athleticism and tactics that makes it so appealing, but also the fan culture associated with it. The community aspect also plays a major role. Watching football together on Sundays is a fixed ritual for millions of Americans, just like the traditional barbecues in the car parks of the stadiums hours before kick-off.
A long history of American Football in Germany
The hype surrounding American football in Germany is no coincidence. American GIs stationed in Germany brought the sport over from their homeland after the Second World War. In 1977, the Frankfurt Lions became the first American football club to be founded in Germany. Further clubs followed, and in 1979 the first organised league was established. In 1992, the NFL came to Germany for the first time to play pre-season matches. Top German clubs such as the New Yorker Lions Braunschweig and the Hamburg Blue Devils dominated European competitions in the 1990s and 2000s. According to NFL chief Alexander Steinfort, up to 15 per cent of spectators at the "NFL Europe Games" – held annually at London’s Wembley Stadium between two US teams from 2007 onwards – came from Germany.
"Germany has developed into the most important NFL market outside the USA in many areas."
Alexander Steinforth, NFL Managing Director Germany
NFL's big shot
The NFL has already achieved its goal of becoming the second most popular sport behind football. To this end, the league has consistently created more and more touchpoints. In 2018, SPORTFIVE supported the NFL as a marketing partner during its market entry in Germany and now works for the league in various areas. This includes, among other things, collaboration with the Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons, as well as the marketing of hospitality packages and extensive brand activations. Furthermore, SPORTFIVE has been responsible for implementing the NFL Flag programme in Germany since 2022. The aim of this international expansion strategy is to further expand the NFL’s global presence. The NFL is gaining further momentum in Germany through the Regular Season Game, which was also introduced in 2022. “Germany has become the most important NFL market outside the US in many areas,” said Alexander Steinforth, head of NFL Germany, to the German Press Agency.
Attractive target group for sponsors
"The NFL community loves the entertainment and event character of football," Steinforth continues. This is particularly popular with younger audiences: "54% of American football fans are between the ages of 16 and 34. The target group is predominantly young, male, well-educated and affluent," says Christan Koller, Vice President and Co-Head of Global Athlete & Team Marketing at SPORTFIVE, who is responsible for marketing the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany.
Especially attractive for sponsors: American football allows them to reach a national audience. Fans love the sport itself and are less likely to support individual teams. "The community concept is very important for American football as a sport. It's about loyal target groups who are also very grateful that their sport is being promoted," explains Julian Neuburger, Senior Director Premium Partnerships International at SPORTFIVE.
Compared to football, American football is a more accessible product - many of the brands involved are new to sponsorship because of their smaller budgets. According to Julian Neuburger, another argument in favour of getting involved: "One of the reasons why American football is so interesting for brands is that the sport still has a relatively 'clean slate' in Germany: Brands that want to create something new will find a good environment here."
