NFL Games in London

Published 20 September 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

The National Football League plays regular-season games in London every autumn, and 2026 brought three of them: two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 4 and 11 October and one at Wembley on 18 October, all kicking off at 14:30 UK time. These are real fixtures that count in the standings, not exhibition matches, and the atmosphere is unlike an American home game in ways that surprise visiting fans.

This page explains how the London games are organised, how tickets are sold, what the crowd is actually like, and how to get to and away from two stadiums in very different parts of the city. It also covers the other American sports that appear in London from time to time.

If you are a first-time visitor to a British stadium, the practical differences matter: no tailgating in the car park, a bag policy strict enough to catch people out, and a public transport system that has to move 60,000 to 90,000 people at once.

Why the games are here, and where they are played

London has hosted NFL regular-season games since 2007, and the arrangement is now formalised. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was built with American football in mind: underneath the retractable grass football pitch there is a permanent artificial gridiron surface, and the building has its own NFL locker rooms for players, officials and cheerleaders, plus dedicated broadcast, media and medical facilities. It is the only stadium purpose-built for NFL games outside the United States.

Tottenham and the league have extended their partnership through to the 2029/30 NFL season, with a minimum of two regular-season games a year at the stadium and official status as the home of the NFL in the United Kingdom. Wembley, the older venue for the series, continues to host games too.

One consequence for ticket buyers: the games are not all sold the same way. The two Tottenham fixtures in 2026 were sold through the NFL's own ticketing, while the Wembley game was managed directly by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the designated home team, with its own sale. If you are trying to buy for a specific date, start from the NFL's London page and follow the link it gives for that game rather than assuming one seller handles all three.

How tickets work, and the change for 2026

You need an account with the NFL's ticketing system to buy for the London games, and it is worth creating one before tickets go on sale rather than during. General admission seats and hospitality packages are sold separately, and hospitality generally opens first.

The useful change for 2026 is pricing transparency. From this season the league applies all-in pricing to NFL International Games, which means the total cost including all fees is shown from the moment you start choosing seats. That removes the unpleasant jump at checkout that used to make a £90 ticket cost £115.

For resale, use only the official route named on the game's own ticket page. A stadium that holds 60,000 or more, full of visitors who have flown in, is exactly the environment fraudulent sellers look for, and our guide to common scams in London describes the standard approaches.

What the crowd is like

The London games draw a mixed audience: British fans of the sport, Americans living in Europe, and supporters who have travelled for the trip. Because most people in the stadium are not supporters of either team, the noise works differently. Neutral sections cheer good plays rather than one side, and you will see replica shirts of all 32 teams in the same block.

That makes it a genuinely friendly, family-viable event, and an unusually good introduction to the sport if you do not follow it. It also means the home-field advantage is largely theoretical, which visiting American fans often remark on.

What you will not find is tailgating. British stadiums do not permit cooking and drinking in the car parks, and almost nobody drives anyway. The equivalent ritual happens in pubs and in fan zones near the ground, starting several hours before kick-off. Our guide to London beer and taprooms covers what you will be drinking, and traditional British food explains the pie you will be offered.

Getting to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

The stadium sits in north London on Tottenham High Road. The closest station is White Hart Lane, in Zone 3, on the Overground line that runs out of Liverpool Street; it is a short walk from the ground and is managed as a one-way system on event days. Northumberland Park, also Zone 3, is the other local station.

The higher-capacity option is the Victoria line to Seven Sisters or Tottenham Hale, both Zone 3, followed by a walk of 20 to 25 minutes or a bus up the High Road. Many people do this deliberately after the game, because walking away from the ground for fifteen minutes is faster than queueing at White Hart Lane.

With contactless or Oyster, a day of travel from central London to Zone 3 and back is capped at £10.50 (2026). Our guide to Overground and DLR services covers how those lines are named, and our guide to travel zones covers the caps.

Getting to Wembley

Wembley has three stations and most visitors only use one of them. Wembley Park, on the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines in Zone 4, is at the end of the wide pedestrian approach and is by far the busiest. Wembley Stadium station, served by Chiltern Railways from Marylebone, and Wembley Central, on the Bakerloo line and the Overground, are both walkable and considerably calmer afterwards.

A Zones 1 to 4 day of travel is capped at £12.80 (2026). Our guide to large arenas and stadium nights in London goes into the leaving strategy in more detail, and the same advice applies here: decide your exit station before the fourth quarter, not after it.

Timings: when the game ends and how long it takes to leave

An NFL game lasts a little over three hours of real time, so a 14:30 kick-off finishes around 17:45. That is the good news: unlike a concert, you are leaving in daylight for most of the autumn and with full train services running.

Allow 45 minutes to an hour from the final whistle to boarding a train at either venue, and longer if you use the nearest station rather than walking to the next one. If you have a connecting train or a flight that evening, add a comfortable margin: our month guide to October in London covers what else is happening, and the Night Tube is irrelevant for an afternoon game, though it matters if you go out afterwards.

Making a weekend of it

Both stadiums are some way from the tourist centre, which is an argument for building the day around the area rather than travelling back and forth. North London has good options around Tottenham and further in towards Islington and Camden, and our guide to staying in Camden and north London compares the area with the centre.

On a non-match day, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium runs stadium tours from £23, with a 15% saving for advance bookings and children going free with a paying adult (September 2026). Our guide to London's stadium tours sets it beside Wembley, Arsenal and Chelsea, and the London Stadium in the Olympic Park offers another.

Other American sport in London

The NFL is the constant; the rest comes and goes. Major League Baseball has staged regular-season games in London, and the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League have both played here, usually at The O2. None of these is guaranteed in any given year, and they are announced late, often only a few months ahead.

If you are planning a trip around a specific American sport other than football, check the league's own international page rather than a listings site, and be prepared for the event not to exist that season. Meanwhile, London's own spectator sports run all winter: see our guides to Premier League football, rugby at Twickenham and cricket at Lord's and The Oval.

Is it worth it if you are not a fan?

For a family, probably yes. The pace is slow enough to explain as you go, there are long gaps in which nothing happens and everyone eats, and the crowd is neutral and good-humoured. Children who have never seen the sport generally enjoy the spectacle more than they enjoy football, and our guide to London with children covers how to fit a long afternoon fixture into a short trip.

For a couple with three days in London and no interest in the sport, it is an expensive way to spend a Sunday in Zone 3 or 4. The tickets are not cheap, the travel eats two hours, and you will see nothing of the city. Be honest about which of those two you are.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the NFL London games played?

At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London and at Wembley Stadium in the north-west. Tottenham was purpose-built for the NFL, with a permanent artificial gridiron pitch under its retractable grass surface, and has a minimum of two regular-season games a year through to the 2029/30 season.

When do the NFL games in London take place?

In the autumn, usually across three or four consecutive Sundays in October. In 2026 the games were on 4, 11 and 18 October, all kicking off at 14:30 UK time. Dates for the following season are normally announced in the spring.

How do I buy tickets for an NFL game in London?

You need an account with the NFL's ticketing system. The Tottenham games are sold through the league's own ticketing, while the Wembley game is handled by the designated home team, so start from the NFL's London page and follow the link for that specific fixture. From the 2026 season, prices are shown all-in including fees.

Is there tailgating before NFL games in London?

No. British stadiums do not allow cooking and drinking in the car parks, and very few people drive to either venue. The pre-game gathering happens in pubs and organised fan zones near the ground instead, usually starting several hours before kick-off.

How long is the journey out after an NFL game in London?

Allow 45 minutes to an hour from the final whistle to boarding a train. Walking 15 to 20 minutes to a station further from the ground, such as Seven Sisters at Tottenham or Wembley Central at Wembley, is often faster than queueing at the nearest one.

Sources

• NFL - 2026 NFL London Games (checked September 2026)
• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - NFL London Games (checked September 2026)
• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - Stadium Tour prices (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Station fare zones (White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hale, Wembley Park) (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Daily and weekly fare caps (checked September 2026)