While some fans feel their team got shafted by the NFL’s seven-game international schedule for the 2025 season, Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf is striking a different chord.
In his first public comments since the league announced Minnesota’s back-to-back games in Ireland and London this year, Wilf called the opportunity something his franchise “could not pass up.”
“Our experiences in London have always been memorable,” said Wilf, via ESPN reporter Kevin Seifert, “so to return in 2025 as the first team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries was something we could not pass up. UK fans have a history of showing up and embracing the Minnesota Vikings, creating what often feels like a homefield environment, and we are hopeful that is what we see again in 2025.”
The Vikings are 4-0 all-time in regular-season NFL games played in the UK, including last year’s win over Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. Head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed to the UK media Tuesday that the team worked in conjunction with the NFL on the international schedule, so it’s clear the Vikings were fully on board with playing a Week 4 game in Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by a short flight (about 1.5 hours) to London to face the Cleveland Browns the following week at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the same venue that hosted Vikings-Jets in 2024.
MORE: NFL gave Vikings hidden advantage in unprecedented 2-week trip to Ireland, London
While the two weeks of international travel seems difficult on the surface, the Vikings might be looking at it through a different lens. For starters, Minnesota will be fully acclimated to the time change after hopping from Ireland to London, so aside from being away from the home facilities for an extended period, the air miles traveled piece of this story is being overblown.
The full 18-week slate won’t be known until Wednesday night, but if the Vikings can win both of their games overseas, they’ll return to the Twin Cities with a clear scheduling advantage over the majority of their NFC foes, especially those within the division. Minnesota will now host eight home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2025, compared to seven true road games and two neutral-site contests.
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The division rival Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, meanwhile, will all play nine true road games in 2025. Ditto for the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who already have games scheduled on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday this season.
Minnesota’s two-game stretch overseas will be a challenge, but it’s one the owner wanted. There are obvious ulterior motives here in terms of promoting the brand outside of the U.S., but if the Vikings can take advantage of what will be two winnable neutral-site matchups, the team will be in excellent shape entering the second third of the regular season.
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