Falcons Owner Opens Door to Possible NFL Expansion in Toronto

 Falcons Owner Opens Door to Possible NFL Expansion in Toronto

The possibility of Toronto becoming home to an NFL franchise has gained fresh attention after Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank expressed support for the city being considered as part of a future league expansion.

The discussion follows comments from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was asked about the league's interest in Toronto during his State of the League press conference. Goodell acknowledged Toronto's potential but stressed that the city would need an NFL-standard stadium before the league could seriously consider placing a franchise there.

“The one thing I've said openly over the years – you may not be aware of it – but a stadium that is up to NFL standards is going to be a certain requirement,” Goodell said. “It's not enough to just have a great city, which you have. You have to have a facility also.”

Toronto has previous experience hosting NFL games. From 2008 through 2013, the Buffalo Bills played one regular-season home game each season at Rogers Centre as part of an agreement involving former Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Rogers Communications chairman Ted Rogers and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chairman Larry Tannebaum.

However, Rogers Centre does not currently meet the requirements expected of a permanent NFL franchise, making a new stadium one of the most important factors in Toronto's potential bid.

Blank echoed Goodell's assessment while speaking to The Toronto Sun, pointing to expansion as another possible route for Toronto rather than relying solely on relocation.

“I think it's a question of just trying to understand expansion and the implications – having it balanced,” Blank said. “You don't want an odd number of teams; you'd want an even number of teams. How that would fall out is crucial.”

Blank also dismissed concerns about the strength of Toronto's market, describing the city as a major sports destination.

“I don't think anyone questions the size of the Toronto market or the potential of the market,” Blank said. “It's a great market and a great sports city – a great sports city. Other than a stadium.”

He added that he did not see major obstacles preventing the NFL from seriously examining the possibility.

“I don't think there's any particular road blocks that would keep the NFL from giving serious consideration to a team in Toronto,” Blank said.

The comments are significant because Toronto could potentially enter the conversation through expansion rather than franchise relocation. If the NFL added Toronto alone, the league would reach 33 teams, creating an uneven structure. Adding another franchise, potentially in London, could take the league to 34 teams and provide a more balanced setup.

London has already been part of the NFL's international ambitions, with the league continuing to explore its long-term presence in the United Kingdom. Adding both London and Toronto, however, would create substantial logistical challenges involving travel, scheduling, divisions and competitive balance.

For now, there is no indication that the NFL has committed to placing a franchise in Toronto. The biggest immediate obstacle remains the stadium situation.

Toronto has the population, commercial strength and sporting culture to attract serious NFL attention. But as Goodell and Blank have both indicated, the city would need an appropriate facility before the league could move from discussing the possibility to seriously pursuing it.

If Toronto eventually secures a new NFL-standard stadium, the city could find itself in a much stronger position to compete for an NFL franchise—whether through relocation or a future expansion of the league. 

ANALYSIS

NFL in Toronto: Why Arthur Blank’s Comments Matter for the League’s Future

The idea of an NFL franchise in Toronto has resurfaced as an intriguing possibility, and comments from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank provide an important glimpse into how league leadership has viewed the Canadian market. While Toronto is not currently on the verge of receiving an NFL team, the city continues to possess many of the qualities the league looks for when considering future expansion or relocation.

The most important point is that Toronto’s potential has never really been the central issue. The stadium has.

When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Toronto’s prospects, he made it clear that the city itself was not the problem. “It's not enough to just have a great city, which you have. You have to have a facility also,” Goodell said.

That statement remains significant because Toronto is one of North America’s largest and most commercially powerful sports markets. The city already supports teams across several major professional leagues and has demonstrated a strong appetite for live sports. From the NFL’s perspective, therefore, the question is less about whether Toronto can attract sports fans and more about whether the infrastructure and business conditions can support an NFL franchise permanently.

Arthur Blank made a similar argument when discussing the possibility with The Toronto Sun. “I don't think anyone questions the size of the Toronto market or the potential of the market,” Blank said. “It's a great market and a great sports city.”

He then identified the major weakness: “Other than a stadium.”

Those comments are important because an NFL franchise requires considerably more than a temporary venue capable of hosting games. The league wants a modern facility that can generate substantial revenue through premium seating, sponsorships, hospitality, naming rights and other commercial opportunities. Toronto’s existing Rogers Centre has hosted NFL games, but the league has indicated that a permanent franchise would require a facility meeting modern NFL standards.

Toronto has already had a taste of NFL football. The Buffalo Bills played regular-season home games at Rogers Centre between 2008 and 2013 as part of the Bills Toronto Series. That arrangement demonstrated that there was commercial interest in NFL football in the city, but it was fundamentally different from having a Toronto-based franchise.

The distinction between hosting games and owning a franchise is crucial. An NFL team based in Toronto would require a permanent commitment from the league, the ownership group, local authorities and potentially private investors. It would also have to overcome complicated issues involving travel, scheduling, divisions and the relationship between American and Canadian football.

Expansion could ultimately be the more interesting route.

Blank noted that the NFL would have to consider league balance when discussing expansion. “You don't want an odd number of teams; you'd want an even number of teams,” he said. That is significant because Toronto alone would take the league from its current 32-team structure to 33 teams, creating an uneven number of franchises.

That makes the possibility of multiple expansion teams particularly interesting. London has long been discussed as a potential future NFL market, and the league's international ambitions have grown considerably. In 2026, the NFL is staging a record nine regular-season games outside the United States, demonstrating that international football is becoming an increasingly important part of the league's strategy.

Goodell has now gone further, saying that “at some point” there will be NFL teams outside the United States and that he has “no doubt” it will happen.

That development gives Toronto an interesting long-term opportunity. If the NFL eventually becomes comfortable with permanent international franchises, Toronto could benefit from being geographically closer to the United States than many other international markets while also possessing a large metropolitan population and established sports infrastructure.

However, international expansion would introduce serious logistical questions. A Toronto franchise would have to travel between Canada and the United States throughout the season, while a London franchise would face significantly greater travel distances. The NFL would have to design a schedule that minimizes competitive disadvantages and player fatigue.

There is also the question of relocation. The NFL has historically used relocation to move franchises into larger or more attractive markets, but Toronto would not necessarily have to wait for an existing team to become available. Blank's comments show that expansion is a legitimate conceptual route.

Still, fans should not interpret these comments as evidence that Toronto is about to receive an NFL team. There is no current franchise announcement, stadium agreement or expansion timetable placing Toronto on the verge of joining the league.

Instead, the comments reinforce something that has been true for years: Toronto is a market the NFL can take seriously, provided the stadium problem is solved.

The timing may actually be more significant today because the NFL's international ambitions are expanding rapidly. With Goodell openly discussing permanent teams outside the United States, the concept that once seemed highly ambitious is becoming more realistic.

For Toronto, the path is therefore relatively clear. The city needs an NFL-standard stadium, a financially capable ownership group and a workable plan for handling the league's scheduling and travel demands.

If those pieces eventually come together, Toronto could move from being an attractive theoretical market to a genuine candidate for NFL expansion. For now, though, the stadium remains the biggest piece of the puzzle—and both Goodell and Blank have made that unmistakably clear.

Source: CBS Sports