Oakland Raiders to host home game across the pond next year

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Oct. 8, 2013

The Oakland Raiders have announced that they will be one of three teams to play one of their home games at Wembley Stadium in London for the 2014 NFL stadium.

The game will be the fifth time the team has played a game outside of the United States having already played in London once, as well as the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Montjuic Stadium in Bacelona, Spain, and at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico.

The Raiders last went to London on their inaugural trip outside of the United States when they took on the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 5, 1990 in a preseason American Bowl contest.

All previous games outside of the United States have been exhibition, but this game will be during the regular season with the Raiders as the home team and the result will matter in the record.

The current Raiders roster has ties to the United Kingdom: Senior offensive assistant Al Saunders was born in London before moving to Northern California as a kid, while defensive lineman Jack Crawford and offensive lineman Menelik Watson grew up in the UK before moving to the United States in high school and college, respectively.

Raiders owner Mark Davis looks forward to helping build the global brand of his organization, along with the NFL.

“We are excited and embrace this great opportunity to assist in building NFL popularity worldwide,” Davis said in a press release. “The Raiders are truly a global brand and we are looking forward to our home-field advantage at the new Wembley Stadium.”

The Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars will be the other two teams hosting a home game in London next year.