London Calling NFL – Broncos and 49ers at Wembley Stadium

NFL International has its sights set on Wembley again, this time on All Saints’ Eve between the home team San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos.

It will be the seventh international game hosted by the NFL, and the fourth in four years in London.

The 49ers look to be the early favourites, as they’ve had international experince before, losing to the Arizona Cardinals in front of 103,000 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City in 2005, the highest selling NFL game and the first to be played outside US soil.

Including preseason, this will be the 10^th game played by the 49ers away from the US, but only their second regular season game. It is their third trip to Wembley Stadium.

The away team has won two of the previous three matchups at Wembley, the Giants on 2007 and the Pariots in 2009, against the Dolphins and Bucaneers respectively.The home team is also due for a win, as the history of results dictates.

The NFL is a big deal in the UK, and the game is expected to sell-out quickly. If expansion teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can fill the seats, then two of the most storied clubs in the league should have no problem getting international attention. The game will be broadcast by CBS in the US and Sky Sports and BBC Two and Three in the UK. BBC 5 Live will cover the gam on radio.

The other game to be held outside the US is The Bills Toronto Series on November 7. Not affiliated with NFL International, it is a separate deal that received unainimous support whereby the Bills will host eight home games over a five year period 60 miles north at the Rogers Centre.