The NFL announced Tuesday that the Detroit Lions will play a regular-season game in Munich during the 2026 season, part of the league’s International Series, with the date, kickoff time, and opponent to be confirmed during the full schedule release. The game will be played at FC Bayern Munich’s Stadium, Allianz Arena.
For Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose mother Miriam hails from Cologne, the announcement is personal in a way it can’t be for most players who get shipped abroad for a neutral-site game. He has spent summers in Germany throughout his life. He has run youth football camps across the country. He helped build the Lions brand in the DACH region long before the team was officially assigned marketing rights there.
Amon-Ra St. Brown’s German Connection Is the Story Behind the Game
St. Brown has been one of the most recognizable figures in American football in Germany for years. Through multiple youth football education camps, fan events, and cultural appearances, he has become a legitimate celebrity in a country that was not yet an NFL market when he entered the league.
The Lions were eventually awarded marketing rights to the DACH region, which includes Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, in 2024 as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, but the groundwork was already laid.
“It has been a dream of mine to play a game in my mother’s home country of Germany since coming to the league,” Amon-Ra St. Brown said Tuesday. “I cannot wait to play in front of the incredible fans that I’ve gotten to know through my visits and football camps in the country.”
A dream come true 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/eEduZhlVRf
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) February 24, 2026
NFL Deutschland captured the reaction simply: “Amon-Ra St. Brown und die Lions in Munchen wird ein Fest, which means Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Lions in Munich will be a party.”
“Their support for me and the country’s instant connection to the Lions brand is inspiring,” St. Brown said in the official release, “and I’m looking forward to our team getting to showcase Detroit football on an international scale.”
The Detroit Lions Have Been Building Toward This
The Munich announcement is not a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Since earning DACH rights in 2024, the Lions have moved with genuine intent in the German market.
The organization introduced a mascot with a German flag-inspired mane named Leo Lowe, hosted back-to-back Thanksgiving Day Classic watch parties in Cologne, launched a streetwear collaboration with German designer MiDNIGHT, and entered a strategic partnership with 1. FC Koln of the Bundesliga in 2025.
This is what it was building toward.
“We are thrilled to be playing internationally and specifically in Munich for the 2026 season,” Lions President and CEO Rod Wood said. “As an organization, we have invested greatly in the German market and are excited to play in front of our passionate German fans.”
The 2026 Munich game will be the sixth regular-season NFL game played in Germany. The Lions are the right team at the right time, and Amon-Ra St. Brown gets to come home.
