American Bowl

For the championship game of the American Indoor Football League formerly known as the "American Bowl", seeAIFA Championship Bowl.

TheAmerican Bowlwas a series ofNational Football Leaguepre-season exhibition gamesthat were held at sites outside the United States between 1986 and 2005.

The league started theAmerican Bowlseries in 1986 primarily to promoteAmerican footballin other countries. After successful games in London'sWembley Stadium,the series was expanded to Japan. After 1990, games were also played inMontrealand Berlin to promote the newWorld League of American Football(laterNFL Europe) which started in 1991.

Game history

Previous games outside the U.S.

Several earlier pre-season games involved NFL teams and were played outside the United States, without being labeled "American Bowl" games. Between 1950 and 1983, there were 13 football games involving NFL orAFLteams played on foreign soil. Six games in Canada between 1950–1961 pitted NFL teams againstCFLteams with the NFL team winning all six games. These games were a hybrid of US and Canadian football. One game involved an AFL team (theBuffalo Bills,who lost 38–21 to the CFL'sHamilton Tiger-Cats).

There was also a game in 1960 that pitted the Chicago Bears against the New York Giants played in Toronto; this was in return for a1958 CFLmatchup that wasplayed in Philadelphia.^[3]

Five games also used the American Bowl format without the name prior to 1986. One of these games was an AFL–NFL matchup, Boston vs. Detroit on August 25, 1969. Firstly, two games were played inMontrealin 1969. Then NFL exhibition games took place inTokyo(1976), Mexico City (1978), and London (1983) before the termAmerican Bowlwas coined. The game in Tokyo was called the "Mainichi Star Bowl"[1].The game in London was called theGlobal Cup.

American Bowl games (1986–2005)

At least oneAmerican Bowlgame was played annually between 1986 and 2003. As many as four were played per year in the early 1990s. The two participating teams were selected by the league. The American Bowl was a fifth pre-season game, played the same weekend as thePro Football Hall of Fame Game,and did not take away a game from the participating teams' pre-season schedules.

The largest crowd in NFL history was recorded at the American Bowl game atMexico Cityon August 15, 1994, when 112,376 people attended theGovernor's Cupgame between theDallas CowboysandHouston Oilers.

In 1996 it was played inMonterreyat theEstadio Universitario.The 1997 game was played inDublin,Ireland,as well as Toronto (Buffalo and Green Bay).

There were three games in1998,two in2000,and thereafter one per year. There was no American Bowl game played in 2004, and from 2000 to 2005 all American Bowl games were played in eitherMexicoor Japan.

Two 1988 games in Montreal andGothenburg,Sweden, and a 1993 game in Toronto, are not classed as American Bowl games. This is because they were not arranged by the NFL but, rather, the scheduled home team elected to play there. Montreal held an American Bowl in 1990. At the time Montreal had noCFLteam, after theConcordes/Alouetteshad folded in 1987, but before thenew Alouettesrelocated there in 1996. The NFL-backedWorld Leaguesaw theMontreal Machinefranchise compete in 1991 and 1992.

Post–American Bowl

Main articles:NFL International SeriesandBills Toronto Series

The last American Bowl was held in 2005. After taking over the position in 2006, new NFL commissionerRoger Goodellcited the league's new international strategy in the abandonment of international pre-season games as well as the closure of what had by then becomeNFL Europaafter its 2007 season, instead focusing on playing regular season games in foreign countries.

The pre-season game that was scheduled to take place in August 2007 (later postponed to 2009) between theNew England Patriotsand theSeattle SeahawksatBeijing National StadiuminBeijing,China, was named theChina Bowlinstead of theAmerican Bowl;that game, too, was eventually canceled before being played.

The firstregular seasonNFL game played outside the United States was held on October 2, 2005, atEstadio Aztecain Mexico City before an NFL regular-season record of 103,467 fans. TheArizona Cardinalsdefeated theSan Francisco 49ers,31–14. TheNew York GiantsandMiami Dolphinsplayed a regular season game at the newly rebuiltWembley Stadiumin London on October 28,2007(with the Giants winning 13–10), the first ever NFL regular season game to be played outside of North America; similarly, theSan Diego ChargersandNew Orleans Saintsfollowed suit in October2008.These games are termed the NFL International Series. In addition to these games, theBuffalo Billsbegan the Bills Toronto Series, a number of annual pre- and regular-season games inToronto;the Miami Dolphins beat the Bills 16–3 in the first such game on December 7, 2008. The series ran from 2008 to 2013.

List of games

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Score	Stadium	City
August 3, 1986	Chicago Bears	17	Dallas Cowboys	6	Wembley Stadium	London
August 9, 1987	Los Angeles Rams	28	Denver Broncos	27	Wembley Stadium	London
July 31, 1988	Miami Dolphins	27	San Francisco 49ers	21	Wembley Stadium	London
August 6, 1989	Los Angeles Rams	16	San Francisco 49ers	13	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 6, 1989	Philadelphia Eagles	17	Cleveland Browns	13	Wembley Stadium	London
August 5, 1990	Denver Broncos	10	Seattle Seahawks	7	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 5, 1990	New Orleans Saints	17	Los Angeles Raiders	10	Wembley Stadium	London
August 9, 1990	Pittsburgh Steelers	30	New England Patriots	14	Olympic Stadium	Montreal
August 11, 1990	Los Angeles Rams	19	Kansas City Chiefs	3	Olympiastadion	West Berlin
July 28, 1991	Buffalo Bills	17	Philadelphia Eagles	13	Wembley Stadium	London
August 3, 1991	San Francisco 49ers	21	Chicago Bears	7	Olympiastadion	Berlin
August 4, 1991	Miami Dolphins	19	Los Angeles Raiders	17	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 2, 1992	Houston Oilers	34	Dallas Cowboys	23	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 15, 1992	Miami Dolphins	31	Denver Broncos	27	Olympiastadion	Berlin
August 16, 1992	San Francisco 49ers	17	Washington Redskins	15	Wembley Stadium	London
August 1, 1993	New Orleans Saints	28	Philadelphia Eagles	16	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 1, 1993	San Francisco 49ers	21	Pittsburgh Steelers	14	Estadi Olímpic	Barcelona
August 7, 1993	Minnesota Vikings	20	Buffalo Bills	6	Olympiastadion	Berlin
August 8, 1993	Dallas Cowboys	13	Detroit Lions	13	Wembley Stadium	London
July 31, 1994	Los Angeles Raiders	25	Denver Broncos	22	Estadi Olímpic	Barcelona
August 7, 1994	Minnesota Vikings	17	Kansas City Chiefs	9	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 13, 1994	New York Giants	28	San Diego Chargers	20	Olympiastadion	Berlin
August 15, 1994	Houston Oilers	6	Dallas Cowboys	0	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City
August 6, 1995	Denver Broncos	24	San Francisco 49ers	10	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 12, 1995	Buffalo Bills	9	Dallas Cowboys	7	SkyDome	Toronto
July 28, 1996	San Diego Chargers	20	Pittsburgh Steelers	10	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 5, 1996	Kansas City Chiefs	32	Dallas Cowboys	6	Estadio Universitario	Monterrey
July 27, 1997	Pittsburgh Steelers	30	Chicago Bears	17	Croke Park	Dublin
August 4, 1997	Miami Dolphins	38	Denver Broncos	19	Estadio Guillermo Cañedo	Mexico City
August 16, 1997	Green Bay Packers	35	Buffalo Bills	3	SkyDome	Toronto
August 2, 1998	Green Bay Packers	27	Kansas City Chiefs	24	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 15, 1998	San Francisco 49ers	24	Seattle Seahawks	21	BC Place Stadium	Vancouver
August 17, 1998	New England Patriots	21	Dallas Cowboys	3	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City
August 8, 1999	Denver Broncos	20	San Diego Chargers	17	Stadium Australia	Sydney
August 6, 2000	Atlanta Falcons	20	Dallas Cowboys	9	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 19, 2000	Indianapolis Colts	24	Pittsburgh Steelers	23	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City
August 27, 2001	Dallas Cowboys	21	Oakland Raiders	6	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City
August 3, 2002	Washington Redskins	38	San Francisco 49ers	7	Osaka Dome	Osaka
August 2, 2003	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	30	New York Jets	14	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 6, 2005	Atlanta Falcons	27	Indianapolis Colts	21	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo

Standings

Rank	Team	GP	W	L	T	Pct	Pts for	Pts against
1	Miami Dolphins	4	4	0	0	1.000	115	84
2	San Francisco 49ers	8	4	4	0	.500	134	162
3	Los Angeles Rams	3	3	0	0	1.000	63	43
4	Denver Broncos	7	3	4	0	.429	149	156
5	Green Bay Packers	2	2	0	0	1.000	62	27
6	Atlanta Falcons	2	2	0	0	1.000	47	30
7	New Orleans Saints	2	2	0	0	1.000	45	26
8	Houston Oilers	2	2	0	0	1.000	40	23
9	Minnesota Vikings	2	2	0	0	1.000	37	15
10	Buffalo Bills	4	2	2	0	.500	35	75
11	Pittsburgh Steelers	5	2	3	0	.400	107	96
12	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1	1	0	0	1.000	30	14
13	New York Giants	1	1	0	0	1.000	28	20
14	Washington Redskins	2	1	1	0	.500	53	24
15	Indianapolis Colts	2	1	1	0	.500	45	50
16	New England Patriots	2	1	1	0	.500	35	33
17	San Diego Chargers	3	1	2	0	.333	57	58
18	Philadelphia Eagles	3	1	2	0	.333	46	58
19	Chicago Bears	3	1	2	0	.333	41	57
20	Kansas City Chiefs	4	1	3	0	.250	68	69
21	Oakland/L.A. Raiders	4	1	3	0	.250	58	79
22	Dallas Cowboys	9	1	7	1	.167	88	158
23	Seattle Seahawks	2	0	2	0	.000	28	34
24	New York Jets	1	0	1	0	.000	14	30
25	Cleveland Browns	1	0	1	0	.000	13	17
26	Detroit Lions	1	0	0	1	.500	13	13

See also

• List of National Football League games played outside the United States

References

• 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book.Time Home Entertainment, Incorporated. 2006. p.616.ISBN1-933405-32-5.
• "NFL History - 1991-2000".NFL.com.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2006.Retrieved2006-09-08.
• "NFL.com International".NFL.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-08-22.Retrieved2006-09-09.