Patriots not expected to play internationally this season

Related: Patriots will not host an international game this season, but there is still a chance they travel abroad

It appears the New England Patriots will not be traveling abroad during the 2022 regular season. According to a report by ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, the team is not expected to participate in the NFL International Series this year and instead play all of its games in the United States.

The Patriots were theoretical candidates to make a trip outside the country given that two of their road opponents this year have been announced as hosts for international contests. The Green Bay Packers will host a regular season game at London’ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the Arizona Cardinals will travel to Mexico City to play at Estadio Azteca.

Neither contest was seen as particularly likely to feature the Patriots, but their considerable international appeal puts them into consideration each season. Nonetheless, it seems as if the NFL will neither be sending them to the United Kingdom nor Mexico in 2022.

Instead, the belief is that the club will travel to Germany next year. With the league holding its first contest on the European mainland in November — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play a yet-to-be-announced team at Munich’s Allianz Arena — the Patriots are seen as frontrunners to play a regular season home game in the city of Frankfurt in 2023.

That road trip would be New England’s first since a 2017 contest in Mexico. In total, the club has played three games on international soil through the years: the Patriots won games in London in 2009 and 2012, and at Estadio Azteca five years later.

As far as 2022 is concerned, however, their longest road trips will now take them to Arizona and Las Vegas. Per the NFL’s new 17-game format, New England will play eight home games and nine road contests.

The full NFL schedule is expected to be announced in May.