Goodell: Super Bowl in London not in NFL's immediate plans

How real is the likelihood of a Super Bowl being played in London? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has the answer.

"I think without a franchise it's probably difficult," Goodell said on Good Morning Football Weekend on Saturday, per NFL.com's Nick Shook.

"That's been talked about a lot. ... But the ownership really feels strongly that that's a reward for our fans. I think if you had a franchise (in London), I think it would come into play."

Goodell cited logistics as the biggest hangup to placing a franchise in London.

"I've always said this in the last few years: I believe that the fan base is here for a team," he said. "Just in numbers and passion, I think the business community/commercial community is strong enough. The political support we have for this is extraordinary. It think all of those elements are here. The one I'm still not comfortable yet is the competitive side. How do we do this to not only be fair to the team that's playing here, but the teams that have to come over to play?"

The NFL has played at least one regular-season game in London in each of the past 10 years. The series was expanded to four games last season. Three such games will be played in England this campaign.

The league has awarded Super Bowls to cities and franchises with new stadiums of late.

The Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016 and played host to last year's Super Bowl. The Atlanta Falcons' Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017 and will be the site of this year's big game, while the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers will open a new stadium in 2020 and are scheduled to host Super Bowl LVI in 2022.

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