(NEXSTAR) – Football goes foreign again in the next NFL season, with Germany gearing up to host its first-ever regular season game in 2022.
The NFL announced Wednesday that Munich and Frankfurt will host four games over four years. The partnership begins this year at the stadium of FC Bayern Munich, aka Allianz Arena, home of the Bundesliga champions.
Two of the four games will take place in Munich and two at Frankfurt Stadium, otherwise known as Deutsche Bank Park.
The Allianz Arena, which opened in 2005, has over 75,000 seats and is mainly used by FC Bayern Munich. It also hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020 matches. You can take a 360 degree tour of the stadium here.
FC Bayern Munich Stadium, Allianz Arena
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Spectators watch the newly illuminated Allianz Arena soccer stadium in Munich, southern Germany, Thursday May 19, 2005 at dusk. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher) -
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A general view of the new Allianz Arena soccer stadium in Munich, southern Germany, Thursday, May 19, 2005. (AP Photo/Uwe Lein) -
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A view, taken Tuesday May 3, 2005, shows the pitch and seats of the Allianz Arena, the new soccer stadium in Munich, southern Germany. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher) -
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Fans and spectators wave white and red flags during the inauguration of the Allianz Arena soccer stadium in Munich, southern Germany, Tuesday, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
Frankfurt Stadium, also known as Deutsche Bank Park, opened in 1925. The Frankfurt Galaxy, an American football team playing in the NFL Europa league, called the stadium home from 1991 to 2007.
Frankfurt Stadium, Deutsche Bank Park
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A general view of the Deutsche Bank Park stadium on September 19, 2020 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) -
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Deutsche Bank Park, Waldstadion, in Frankfurt, Germany is lit up in rainbow colors during the Euro 2020 soccer match between Germany and Hungary held in Munich on Wednesday June 23 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) -
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A general view during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund at Deutsche Bank Park on December 05, 2020 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) -
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A general view before the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and DSC Arminia Bielefeld at Deutsche Bank Park on January 21, 2022 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) -
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A general view before the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and DSC Arminia Bielefeld at Deutsche Bank Park on January 21, 2022 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
It’s unclear who will play those games in Munich and Frankfurt, but the NFL previously released a list of four teams — Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — that have been granted access to Germany for Marketing, Fan Engagement and Commercialization.
According to the league, nine German cities initially expressed interest in hosting NFL games when the selection process began last year. Three – Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich – were invited to participate in a comprehensive assessment.
As part of their agreement, the NFL, Munich and Frankfurt agree to offer fan engagement activities, community involvement programs and other initiatives.
During the 2022 season, five matches will be played abroad, with one scheduled in Mexico and three in the UK.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are already set to play a game at the iconic Wembley Stadium, home of English football. The other two matches will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The NFL says teams and dates won’t be released until the full 2022 schedule is released later this year. Under the league’s new 17-game schedule, all teams will have to play at least one away game every eight years.
According to the league’s operations site, six NFL executives lead the schedule development process, and thousands of cloud-based computer models are used to find the schedule with the least amount of travel and logistical hurdles. . The NFL is working on expanding international venues to Canada, South America and other European cities in the coming years.
The NFL’s first game outside the United States was on October 2, 2005, in Mexico City, when the Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 at Estadio Azteca, the team’s home country’s national football club.
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