There’s a chance the New Orleans Saints could fly overseas again in 2024. The NFL announced Monday that five games will be played in its International Series next season, with the Carolina Panthers hosting one of them. The Saints are not scheduled to travel for games against the other four hosts, but they’ll go to Carolina as part of the annual two-game NFC South rivalry series.
Or, maybe, they’ll go to Germany. The Panthers will play a home game at Munich’s Allianz Arena. New Orleans will not lose another home game to the International Series slate until 2030, but that doesn’t mean they’re prevented from making the trip as visitors. And this being an NFC South feature won’t stop the NFL from assigning them to go.
Divisional matchups are uncommon in overseas games, but they aren’t as rare as you’d think. Of the 43 NFL games played abroad, six have pitted divisional opponents.
In 2022 the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. There were three games featuring divisional rivals in the 2019 season, including the Carolina Panthers’ matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London (the Panthers were nominal visitors). Here’s the full list of divisional games in the International Series:
- 2015: New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins (AFC East)
- 2017: Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams (NFC West)
- 2019: Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South)
- 2019: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South)
- 2019: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers (AFC West)
- 2022: San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West)
The Saints have played three games in the International Series since it kicked off back in 2007: They won twice at Wembley Stadium in London, beating the San Diego Chargers in 2008 and shutting out the Miami Dolphins in 2017, but they lost a close one to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022.
We’ll have to wait and see whether the Saints are making a trip to Germany this year. We learned in early May 2022 that the Saints would kick off with the Vikings in London. The NFL typically unveils the full schedule in May. And watch out for sketchy reports — German tabloids last year ran with the story that the Saints would be visiting for a game with the New England Patriots, but it didn’t pan out. So maybe wait to plan your trip.
