You’re barely awake. The coffee is still brewing, and the sun is just starting to peek through the blinds, but suddenly your phone pings with a fantasy football alert. Someone just scored a touchdown, and it’s not even 10:00 AM. If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to set a lineup while still in your pajamas, you know the chaos of the international series.
Determining who plays sunday morning football usually comes down to one thing: the NFL’s obsession with London and Germany.
It wasn't always like this. We used to have a predictable rhythm to our Sundays. You had the 1:00 PM ET games, the 4:25 PM ET "Game of the Week," and then the late-night showdown. But the league realized they could own an entire day of television if they started the action before most people on the West Coast even brushed their teeth. Now, "Sunday Morning Football" is a permanent fixture of the schedule, typically featuring teams sent across the Atlantic to play at Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, or the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The International Series Chaos
The NFL doesn't just pick names out of a hat. There is a method to the madness of who gets sent overseas. Usually, teams with a "home marketing area" in the UK or Germany—like the Jacksonville Jaguars or the New England Patriots—are the primary candidates.
The Jaguars are basically London’s unofficial home team at this point. Shad Khan, the owner, has deep ties there, and they’ve played more games in the UK than any other franchise. It's almost a guarantee that if you're asking who plays sunday morning football during the month of October, the Jags are going to be on your screen at 9:30 AM ET.
But it isn't just the struggling teams anymore. We've seen the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins head over there recently. The league wants to put its best product on the global stage.
Think about the logistical nightmare of this for a second. These teams aren't just hopping on a quick flight. They are transporting literal tons of equipment, specialized kitchens, and hundreds of staff members across eight time zones. Players often talk about the "jet lag fog" that hits during the second half. It’s a massive disadvantage for the team designated as the "home" team, as they lose a true home-field edge in exchange for "growing the game."
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Why the 9:30 AM ET Window Matters
Money. It's always money.
By scheduling games at 2:30 PM in London, the NFL captures the European prime-time audience while simultaneously creating a fourth broadcast window for American fans. Advertisers love it. Instead of three games competing for your attention at 1:00 PM, you have one solitary game at 9:30 AM where you have no choice but to watch. It’s a captive audience.
Honestly, it’s a brilliant move, even if it ruins your sleep schedule.
The Regional Exception: West Coast Sunday Mornings
We have to talk about the fans in Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. For them, every Sunday is a morning football Sunday.
When the East Coast is settling in for a 1:00 PM kickoff, fans in the Pacific Time Zone are cracking open their first beverage at 10:00 AM. It’s a different lifestyle. While a New Yorker is eating wings for lunch, a Californian is watching the 49ers while eating breakfast burritos.
This creates a weird divide in the fan experience. The "morning" slate for a West Coast fan is the "early" slate for the East Coast. But when we talk about those special standalone games—the ones that start while the rest of the country is still asleep—we are almost exclusively talking about the NFL International Series.
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The Teams You Can Expect to See
While the schedule changes every year, certain franchises are more likely to fill that early-morning slot.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: They are the kings of the London morning kickoff.
- Chicago Bears & Minnesota Vikings: Both teams have massive fanbases in the UK and are frequent travelers.
- The New York Giants: Despite being a big-market team, they’ve been sent across the pond multiple times to anchor the morning broadcast.
- The Buffalo Bills: They brought a massive traveling party to London recently, proving that "Bills Mafia" exists even in Europe.
The NFL usually announces these matchups in the spring, shortly before the full schedule release. They look for matchups that have some narrative weight but won't cannibalize the ratings of the massive 4:25 PM ET window. You likely won't see a Cowboys vs. Eagles game at 9:30 AM because that game is too valuable for American prime time. Instead, you get "solid" matchups—games that are interesting enough to wake up for, but not so big that the league loses money by putting them on early.
The Venue Factor
Where they play dictates the "vibe" of the morning.
Wembley is the classic. It feels like a soccer match converted for American football. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however, was built with the NFL in mind. It has a retractable turf field specifically for these games. It’s arguably the best stadium in the world for who plays sunday morning football because the sightlines are perfect.
Then you have Germany. The atmosphere in Munich and Frankfurt is famously loud. Fans there don't just cheer; they sing. If you tune in at 9:30 AM and hear 50,000 people singing "Country Roads" at the top of their lungs, you know you're watching the German slate.
How to Prepare for the Early Kickoff
If you're a serious fan, you can't treat a 9:30 AM kickoff like a normal game. You have to be prepared.
First, check your fantasy roster on Saturday night. There is nothing worse than realizing your starting running back is playing in London and you left him on the bench because you overslept the kickoff. Most apps will give you a warning, but don't rely on them.
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Second, check the broadcast. These games aren't always on your local CBS or FOX affiliate. Often, they are exclusive to the NFL Network or even a streaming service like ESPN+. If you wait until kickoff to find the channel, you're going to miss the first quarter trying to remember your password.
Third, embrace the breakfast tailgate. You don't need beer and burgers at 9:00 AM. Go for the coffee, the mimosas, and the heavy breakfast food. There’s something uniquely satisfying about watching a 300-pound lineman sweat in the London humidity while you're sitting in a bathrobe eating pancakes.
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that these games are "throwaway" games. Fans think that because they are played in the morning, the league doesn't care about the outcome.
Actually, the opposite is true. Because these are standalone games, they often have some of the highest individual viewership numbers of the week. Every set of eyes in the country is on that one game. For a player, it’s a chance to become a national name.
Another myth? That players hate the trip. While the travel is brutal, many younger players treat it like a mini-vacation. They get to see a city they’ve never visited, eat different food (though the team usually brings their own chefs), and play on an international stage.
Actionable Steps for the Next International Game
To make the most of the next time the NFL goes abroad, follow this checklist:
- Sync your calendar: Download the NFL schedule directly to your phone. It will automatically adjust the kickoff times to your specific time zone, so you aren't doing "time zone math" at midnight on Saturday.
- Verify your streaming access: Ensure your NFL+ or ESPN+ subscription is active at least 24 hours before the game.
- Set a "Lineup Alarm": Set an alarm for 8:45 AM ET (or 5:45 AM PT). This gives you a 45-minute window to check the inactive list and make any last-minute roster moves.
- Meal prep the breakfast: If you're hosting, do the prep work the night before. No one wants to be chopping onions for an omelet while a touchdown is being reviewed.
The Sunday morning window isn't going anywhere. In fact, expect it to expand. With rumors of games in Spain, Brazil, and potentially even Australia, the definition of "morning football" is only going to get broader. Stay sharp, keep your remote handy, and maybe invest in a better coffee maker. You're going to need it.