Dolphins will reportedly play in the NFL International Series in 2025
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins notified their season ticket holders that in 2025, there will not be nine home games. They were scheduled to host an extra game at Hard Rock Stadium next year. Instead, the Dolphins will play that extra game somewhere else.
According to reports, the team informed the ticket holders that they were being designated to play in one of the many NFL International Series games in 2025.
The question now becomes, where?
Dolphins inform season-ticket holders that the NFL will have Dolphins play international game as the designated team in 2025. Opponent, date, country announced at later date. So Dolphins season ticket packages will include 8 regular season games and 1 preseason game, per what…
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) October 25, 2024
Miami has a substantial following in Europe. They have played several games in London and made the trip to Germany when the NFL expanded its international program of regular-season games. Last year, however, the NFL dipped its feet into the Brazilian market.
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This is interesting because the Dolphins are one of the more popular teams in South America. Many were surprised that the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers opened the 2024 season in Brazil, as the Dolphins have the marketing rights in Brazil.
It would make a lot of sense to send the Dolphins to Sao Paulo next season instead of to Europe. The NFL won't release the schedule until sometime in May, but typically, they leak one or two of the international games well before the actual schedule release.
Dolphins will still play eight home games at Hard Rock Stadium in 2025
While the Dolphins will lose a home game, they will still have eight at Hard Rock Stadium.
In 2025, it is the AFC's turn to gain a ninth home contest as part of the 17-game schedule. Miami will lose its bonus home game, which will be played presumably in England, Germany, or Brazil unless the league expands its international venues.
The NFL is flirting with an 18-game schedule, and if they accomplish this, they should simply add that extra game to the international market. Each team playing a game overseas makes a lot of sense for the league and the fans in other countries. Every team would have equal burdens across the league.
If they were to do this, each team would still alternate losing a home or away game each year to keep the balance, but it would eliminate the need to basically beg teams to play in one of those games.
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