'Money-grab' or celebration? NFL kicks off London series
The NFL is facing potential market saturation in the UK as ticket sales for London-based games have slowed significantly. Fans and analysts attribute the decline to aggressive price hikes and the removal of season-ticket packages.
Why it matters
This highlights the challenges of international sports expansion and the economic sensitivity of global fanbases to rising costs.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Neither the Washington Commanders nor Indianapolis Colts qualified for last season's play-offs
Once upon a time, tickets for NFL games in London were like gold dust.
All 43 games have been near capacity at Wembley, Twickenham and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
According to the NFL, its UK fanbase has swelled to 18.6 million, with 4.5 million of those considered 'avid' fans.
So in the build-up to this year's London series, why were thousands of tickets still available for two of the three games?
Next week's clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham sold out in hours.
But the crowd for Sunday's game at Tottenham between Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts only reached 60,907 after ticket prices were slashed, and large sections remain unsold for the Wembley game on 18 October.
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