The Minnesota Vikings will play against the Cleveland Browns in London in 2017, either in Week 7 or Week 8. Instead of the usual Wembley venue, they will play in the stadium used for the English National Rugby team, Twickenham—where the New York Giants played against the Los Angeles Rams this year.
The NFL generally feels that Twickenham is a better pitch for play than Wembley, because rugby players run heavier than soccer players. For a somewhat deeper look into how Twickenham transforms for the NFL matchup, check out this ESPN story.
The Vikings will not give up a home game on their schedule, and will be ‘hosted’ by the Cleveland Browns instead. The other London games were detailed by Adam Schefter this morning:
While not the most exciting slate of matchups (to my eye), it certainly provides a variety of types of games, including divisional, conference and interconference play.
The Vikings are undefeated outside of the United States, although only one of those five games was a regular season matchup.
Vikings president Mark Wilf said in a statement, “We are honored to once again represent the NFL on a global level and help grow the game of football. This is a unique opportunity to continue highlighting the Vikings brand on an international stage and to give our fans around the world another opportunity to see their favorite team up close.”
