The NFL announced three matchups that will take place in London for the 2018 season. The Los Angeles Chargers will travel to England for one of those games.
Oi!
The Chargers will be heading to London to “host” the Tennessee Titans at Wembley Stadium on either Oct. 21 or 28. It will count as one of the Chargers’ home games for the season.
This marks the second time that the Chargers will play in London. San Diego faced New Orleans in 2008, which was only the second year the NFL played a regular-season game in London. The Saints beat the Chargers in a shootout, a game where QB Philip Rivers and QB Drew Brees combined for 680 passing yards and six passing touchdowns.
Overall, this will be the Chargers’ sixth game abroad in franchise history, according to the team’s official website.
The Chargers also released a statement on the opportunity to play in London again:
“Since we last visited London in 2008, the NFL’s popularity has continued to grow in the UK. It was an honor to be part of the early wave of regular-season games played abroad back then, and it is every bit the honor to represent the league in London this time around. We’re excited to introduce the Los Angeles Chargers brand, in person, to football fans in the UK this year, and to fans in our 2019 destination as well.” – A.G. Spanos, Chargers President of Business Operations
The Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars are the other four teams to play a game in London next season.
Normally, it’d be unfortunate for a team to lose one of its home games, especially when one has to travel extremely far to play the game. In the Chargers’ case, they never once had home-field advantage in their first season back in Los Angeles, something that’s been well-documented over the course of the season.
If anything, it’s a cool experience for both the players and fans. Do you like the idea of the Chargers playing one of their home games in London? Sound off in the comments section.