When the Houston Texans play the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road this season, it won’t be in Florida.
The Texans and Jaguars will instead play that game Oct. 18 at Wembley Stadium in London at 8:30 a.m. central time, the NFL announced Wednesday morning.
It will be the first international game the Texans have played in since the 2019 season — coincidentally against the Jaguars at the same venue. That year, the Texans won 26-3 on Nov. 3 before a crowd of 84,771.
“We are proud to return to London and the iconic Wembley Stadium this season,” Texans CEO and chair Cal McNair said. “We look forward to competing against the Jaguars and contributing to the continued global growth of the NFL. As we celebrate 25 seasons of Houston Texans football, this marks another significant moment for our organization and for Texans fans in Houston and around the world.”
This year’s game between the Texans and Jaguars is part of a larger effort by the NFL to expand its global footprint. The league will play nine international games this season — the most in a single year — including its first game in Australia and another inaugural game in Paris.
As for the Texans, they’ve played just two international games in their first 24 seasons, with a 1-1 record. Their first international game came in 2016, when the Texans lost to the Raiders in a Monday night game in Mexico City.
At some point, they’ll be chosen to host a game — likely somewhere in Mexico, where they have rights in that market — within the next decade.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he would like there to be 16 international games per season, with each team participating in one per year.
The rest of the NFL’s schedule will be released Thursday. The Texans’ home opponents are the Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Cowboys, Giants and Bills.
Their road opponents, other than the Jaguars, include the Browns, Colts, Eagles, Titans, Commanders, Packers, Chargers and Steelers.