While the Bucs started the offseason with a ton of questions, they have rapidly been answering them in the months since. Tom Brady is back, a new head coach was hired, and reinforcements on the field were brought in through free agency and the draft.
Now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have yet another answer: their international game in Munich, Germany this year will take place on November 13 at 9:30 am EST against the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL announced today, pitting the Bucs against an NFC West stalwart. While tickets aren’t yet available (more info on that below), the game will be broadcast here in the States on NFL Network.
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This will be the NFL’s first-ever game in Germany, and the Bucs will technically be the home team as they “host” the Seahawks. The game will be played in Allianz Arena, the home stadium of FC Bayern Munich, and the matchup is part of the NFL’s now-expanding International Series.
The international game is a good fit for the Bucs for a couple reasons. Reason No. 1 comes with an important reassurance for season ticket holders: Tampa Bay isn’t losing a home game for this. When the NFL expanded the regular season from 16 games to 17 last year, it meant that many teams every year would have one more home game than away game. The league’s approach is to use teams with an “extra” home game to fill its expanding lineup of international tilts.
Secondly, the Bucs had already begun marketing themselves in Germany at the end of 2021. In its effort to grow a more global audience and expand its international reach, the NFL granted 26 teams what it dubbed an “International Home Marketing Area” (IHMA), and the Bucs were one of four teams given permission to begin promotions in Germany. The IHMA allows Tampa Bay a five-year window during which they are able to enact promotions for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization in Germany as a means to build a local brand and following.
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Other countries included in the IHMA program are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Bucs bring international experience to the game
In addition to Bucs-Seahawks in Munich, the NFL announced matchups for three other international games in the 2022 season. the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals will face off in Mexico City, while the league’s traditional London game has been expanded to three matchups: Minnesota vs. New Orleans, New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers, and Denver vs. Jacksonville.
The Bucs have played in the London game on three occasions, acting as the home team every time, most recently against the Carolina Panthers in 2019. Tampa Bay’s 2022 game in Germany will be hosted at FC Bayern Munich Stadium. Fans interested in attending can sign up for more information at www.nfl.com/munich.
“We look forward to participating in the first regular season NFL game in Munich, Germany later this fall as part of the International Series,” said Buccaneers Owner/Co-Chairman Joel Glazer. “This historic game will play a crucial role in the NFL’s efforts to grow its international footprint while allowing us to directly engage NFL fans in Germany.”
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