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The NFL has announced the 2016 International Series and the Bengals are slated to make their London debut.
The Bengals will host the Washington Redskins on October 30, 2016 at Wembley Stadium in London. Kickoff time is to be determined.
It will be the first game in London for both the Redskins and the Bengals. The Week 8 contest will air live on FOX Network affiliates in the Bengals home market, including WXIX-TV (Channel 19) in Cincinnati.
"We are proud to be a part of the NFL's initiative to grow our game abroad, and we believe this game will be a source of pride for Cincinnati as well," Bengals President Mike Brown said in a press release. "It will provide a strong platform for our region's culture and recent progress. And we've long known that we have fans in London and the U.K. A number have visited Cincinnati for games over the years. We know they will be out to cheer us on, along with fans from our area who choose to travel to the game."
"We're excited to take our team to London and take on the Washington Redskins, "Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We're proud to show off the NFL game. And we always look for ways to keep a long season fresh and exciting for players. I know our players will respond well to this opportunity."
Due to the game in London being a home game for the Bengals, only seven games will be played at Paul Brown Stadium during the 2016 regular season. The NFL does compensate teams who play in London to ensure there's no financial loss for traveling to the United Kingdom for a game. Since the game is a Week 8 game, you can expect the Bengals to have a Week 9 bye in 2016.
Two other regular season games will be played in London in 2016 for the NFL's International Series.
On October 2, the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Indianapolis Colts at Wembley Stadium, and on October 23, the St. Louis Rams will host a to-be-determined NFC opponent at the NFL's new London venue, Twickenham Stadium.
|
Week |
Date |
Visiting Team |
Home Team |
Site |
|
4 |
Sunday, October 2 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Wembley Stadium |
|
7 |
Sunday, October 23 |
NFC East Opponent |
St. Louis Rams |
Twickenham Stadium |
|
8 |
Sunday, October 30 |
Washington Redskins |
Cincinnati Bengals |
Wembley Stadium |
By the end of 2016, 24 NFL teams (75 percent of all NFL teams) will have played in London.
The Bengals, Redskins, and Colts are three of current teams that have yet to play in London. The other teams who have never played in London are the Browns, Packers, Panthers, Ravens, Eagles, Seahawks, Texans, and Titans. It's possible another international game in another country will be announced by the NFL at a later date. According to NFL Network's Albert Breer, NFL executives are in Mexico this week to explore venues and options for holding a game in Mexico City.
"I can't think of a better way for us to leverage one of our best assets, the Bengals, to promote our city to businesses and tourists in the U.K.," Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said.
Information regarding tickets to the game and travel packages will be available at a later date. Priority access to tickets will be provided to Bengals Season Ticket Members.
Three games, a new stadium & AT LEAST 3 new teams. 2016 International Series Schedule https://t.co/znXTzNzQZB #NFLUK pic.twitter.com/NW3sL0NTxC
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) November 25, 2015