10 Favorite NFL Expansion Teams: 2023 Edition

G'day tribe! I'm gonna switch it up today and talk NFL. Which city will host one of the next NFL expansion teams? The NFL hasn't expanded since the Houston Texans joined the league in 2002. These new NFL teams could increase the league from its current 32-team format. NFL expansion is only a matter of time as the league is always looking to reach as many fans as possible. These are the favorite cities that could host one of the next NFL expansion teams.

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10. Columbus

Columbus is one of the favorites to become one of the next NFL expansion teams and already has history in the league with the Panhandles playing in the league in 1920, before folding in 1926. Even the NFL's headquarters were once based in Columbus between 1927 and 1939.

The population of Columbus is the biggest in Ohio, bigger than both Cincinnati and Cleveland combined. There is a strong football culture, specifically with college football, and a team in Columbus would be a great rival to the Bengals and Browns.

An excerpt from a Forbes article:

“There are certainly substantial cities and markets beyond the NFL's 32. Columbus, for instance, is Ohio's largest city yet does not have an NFL franchise.”#XFLtoColumbus — Columbus Destroyers Fans (@DestroyersAFL) January 26, 2018

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9. Sacramento

The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have relocated in the past, so maybe it's time Sacramento gets a chance to become one of the next NFL expansion teams. With a metro population of over 2.5 million, it's certainly one of the larger markets in the United States without an NFL team.

An NFL team in Sacramento would only have to compete with one other major league sports team, the Sacramento Kings. A second team in Northern California would also help to fill the void left by the relocation of the Raiders, and create a rivalry with the 49ers.

8. Toronto

The NBA, MLB and NHL all have teams in Canada. Could the NFL follow suit? A team in Toronto would change the dynamic of the league by creating cross-border operations, and it would create rivalries with the Bills, Lions and Browns.

Should the NFL expand into Toronto as one of the next NFL expansion teams, it would be doing so into one of the largest untapped markets in North America with over 6 million people in the metro area. The 52,000-seat Rogers Center already exists and upgrades could make it NFL ready.

Reports hint that Toronto could actually be getting an NFL franchise https://t.co/wLw3sP7ATo #Toronto #NFL

— blogTO (@blogTO) November 11, 2021

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7. St. Louis

St. Louis has a rich history in the National Football League. A passionate fan base supported the St. Louis Rams between 1995-2015, but the failure to agree to a new stadium being built between the city and owner Stan Kroenke resulted in the Rams relocating to Los Angeles.

The market size of St. Louis is certainly enough to support an NFL team and local fans passionately follow the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues. The Dome at America's Center is very outdated though so a new stadium would need to be built.

6. Mexico City

Although not the favorite international NFL expansion team option, it would be logistically easier than London to host games and would allow the league to expand into a Latin America market that is experiencing rapid growth.

The two largest ever crowds in the NFL were both set in Mexico City during preseason games. The largest of those was back in 1994 when 112,376 watched the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers. With a metro population of over 22 million, Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world and an attractive market for an NFL expansion team.

Cowboys were one of 18 NFL teams who had an international home marketing bid accepted today. Cowboys chose Mexico. They are one of nine franchises who can hold marketing, fan engagement and commercialization functions in Mexico for at least the next five years. pic.twitter.com/7p7TW1GpcT

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 15, 2021

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5. London

London is the favored option for an international NFL team and has been hosting International Series games in London since 2007. There are estimated to be more than 15 million NFL fans in the UK, the stadium infrastructure is already in place, and placing a team in Britain would truly make the NFL global.

Expanding into one of the biggest cities in the world would be a milestone moment for the league, but the obvious logistical issues with a London NFL expansion team cannot be ignored and would need to be managed somehow.

London NFL franchise mockup pic.twitter.com/tltCK9MpTE

— FB_Helmet_Guy (@FB_Helmet_Guy) March 23, 2021

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4. Oakland

Oakland deserves one of the next NFL expansion teams because the league has already ditched the city twice. The Raiders played at the Oakland Coliseum which was one of the worst NFL stadiums.

Fans are passionate however, and Oakland still managed to average 84% capacity despite only four winning seasons in Oakland after their relocation from Los Angeles in 1995. In the Raiders first season in Las Vegas almost 15% of season ticket holders were from northern California despite the eight-hour road trip.

Could the NFL come back to Oakland?

An African-American committee has sent a letter to the league, and is hoping to acquire an expansion team (via @BairNBCS) https://t.co/vRbGz5Dq3e pic.twitter.com/xofss0yk5B — Raiders on NBCS (@NBCSRaiders) June 22, 2020

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3. San Diego

Awarding an NFL expansion team to San Diego seems like the right thing to do. The San Diego Chargers were based in the city between 1961 to 2016 before relocating to Los Angeles, but fans are still passionate about their football.

San Diego Stadium, also known as Qualcomm Stadium, hosted three Super Bowls but has since been demolished and replaced with the 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium. It's hoped that Snapdragon Stadium will attract a Major League Soccer franchise, and it also has the ability to expand in the future to host an NFL team.

San Diego should still have an NFL franchise. 😡 pic.twitter.com/AOy46nFwJD

— FB_Helmet_Guy (@FB_Helmet_Guy) July 14, 2021

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2. Portland

Basing one of the next NFL expansion teams in Portland would create an intense rivalry between their Pacific Northwest enemies in Seattle. Portland is a largely untapped market in major sports with only the Portland Trail Blazers in the city, and the city being ahead of 11 current NFL teams in terms of media market size.

An NFL expansion team was a real possibility for Portland in the 1960's and could've beaten out the Seattle Seahawks for a place in the league if construction of the planned Delta Dome went ahead. Does Portland deserve to be a big-league city as much as Seattle does?

It’s crazy to think Portland could have had both a MLB & NFL franchise but voted no on the Delta Dome.

— Portland Pioneers (@PioneersMLB) August 19, 2021

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1. San Antonio

San Antonio is the favorite for an NFL expansion team. It has a metro population of over 2.5 million, and a media market which is bigger than Kansas City, Cincinnati and Vegas. Combining San Antonio with Austin would also mean a market that is bigger than Seattle-Tacoma.

The 65,000-seat Alamodome has hosted preseason games in the past. The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have pushed back on a San Antonio NFL expansion team previously but there's no doubting that San Antonio would create an intense rivalry with both those teams.

Will San Antonio ever get an NFL franchise? Mayor Nirenberg believes the investments the city is making now gives the Alamo City a chance to get a franchise in the next 10 years.https://t.co/Ex1PlddMr1

— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) January 22, 2021

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