NFL owners approved staging a game in São Paulo, Brazil, as part of the International Series in 2024.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added there could be as many as eight games played abroad by 2025.

Peter O'Reilly, the executive vice president for the NFL's international business, told the Associated Press in September the league had visited São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro along with Madrid, Spain, as it examined candidates for International Series expansion.

NBC Sports' Peter King examined the situation in November and posited Dublin, Ireland, and Australia were both logical contenders but that "the focus now is on Spain, Brazil and perhaps Paris, very soon."

King also interviewed O'Reilly, who explained the growth of the International Series was due in part to increased interest from the teams themselves.

"Now, it is very much teams raising their hands," he said. "There's a reason that the Chiefs and the Patriots are the two designated teams these next two weeks, and that's based on they have rights here. They raised their hands and said, 'We want to be over there in Germany.'"

For the NFL and its 32 franchises, widening their footprint abroad has been a long-term strategy to tap new sources of revenue. Along with moving more games out of U.S., successfully lobbying to make flag football an official Olympic sport was part of the plan.

In terms of its financial health, the NFL has never been stronger, but people have wondered for years whether the league will eventually reach a saturation point domestically. Especially with the way in which media rights are trending across the board, that moment may arrive in the not too distant future.

Playing a first-ever regular-season game in South America has the potential to yield major dividends if the NFL can establish a regular presence on the continent.