New England Patriots to play the Oakland Raiders in Mexico next season
Wednesday 1 February 2017 20:27, UK
The NFL has announced that the Oakland Raiders will host the New England Patriots in Mexico next season.
It will be the second consecutive season that the Raiders have played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City after they beat the Houston Texans 27-20 in front of more than 76,000 fans in November - the first ever Monday Night Football game played outside of the United States.
The game is the NFL's fifth international fixture which has been confirmed for 2017, with another four set for London, and Raiders owner Mark Davis said he was looking forward to taking his team back to Mexico following last year's success.
"The Raiders are excited to return to Estadio Azteca and represent the National Football League once again on an international stage," he told www.nfl.com.
"We enjoyed tremendous support from the Raider Nation in Mexico in 2016 and look forward to experiencing that great passion again this year."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced details of the game ahead of Super Bowl LI in Houston which will see the Atlanta Falcons take on the Patriots on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1HD.
It will be the first time the Pats have played a regular-season game in Mexico.
"The largest crowd the Patriots have played in front of was in Mexico City in 1998," said Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "It was a great experience and I am looking forward to our return. I know that we have a lot of passionate Patriots fans in Mexico.
"We have had plenty of success in international games and I attribute that to our tremendous fan support in those venues. I look forward to meeting some of our fantastic fans and enjoying the food and culture there in the fall."
More details, including the date and time of the game, will be determined along with the release of the NFL schedule in the spring.
"We have a tremendous fan base in Mexico," Goodell added. "Their passion for football is inspiring, and we look forward to another memorable game in Mexico City between two great teams next season."
