NFL team owners have approved a resolution to play regular-season games in the UK through the 2016 season.
Goodell cites 'exceptional response' to Wembley feature
NFL team owners have approved a resolution to play regular-season games in the UK through the 2016 season.
At a vote in Houston the teams authorised the league to schedule at least one game per season, making the UK the sole focus of the league's international operations.
It also raises the possibility of an NFL team making this their second home as they can volunteer to return as the "home" team for each of the five years until 2016.
The NFL has played a regular-season game at London's Wembley Stadium in each of the past four years, with a fifth game to be played there on October 23 when the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet.
"The response to NFL games being played in the UK continues to be exceptional," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
"Because of the outstanding support of our British fans, we are confident that hosting additional games in the UK will be well received and support our goal of bringing football to more fans in the UK and beyond."
Tampa Bay will become the first team to feature in the international series for a second time when they return later this month, after losing 35-7 to the New England Patriots in 2009.
The league's vice president of international operations, Chris Parsons, said: "When the initial resolution was approved in 2006, the thinking at the time was that we would have two new teams every year.
"As the series evolved, we felt as though having a team return to the UK on a regular basis would certainly increase the fan base for that particular team, which in turn would drive fan growth for the entire league.
"We think there is a tremendous benefit for a team to return to the UK on an annual basis."
The NFL claims 11 million fans in the UK, and credits the Wembley games with driving a 91% increase in television ratings since 2006.
NFL owners also today voted to host the 2015 Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona.
