The Global Game: How Sports Are Taking the World Stage

Professional and collegiate athletics is no longer a purely American affair. From Wembley Stadium in London to Aviva Stadium in Dublin, from São Paulo to Tokyo, sports organizations are going global — and it's happening faster than most front offices are prepared for.

The Global Game Has Deep Roots

International competition in American sports isn't new. The first college football game played outside the United States was a two-game series between Harvard and McGill University of Montreal in 1874. From there, international play expanded to include the Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba (1907–1946), the Mirage Bowl series in Tokyo (1976–1993, with one game drawing 86,000 fans), and the 1988 Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin.

But what we're seeing now is different. This isn't a one-off spectacle. It's a strategic pivot across both professional and collegiate sports.

The Current Landscape: Global Is the New Normal

Consider the international expansion happening right now:

• MLB regularly opens seasons with games in Tokyo, Seoul, and London
• NHL has expanded the Global Series to Stockholm, Prague, and Helsinki
• College football plays annual games in Dublin, with Wembley Stadium hosting its first game in 2026
• Women's basketball has seen programs play in Paris and other European cities

DAZN secured a sublicensing deal with ESPN to broadcast up to 25 live NCAA college football games and 20 basketball games weekly across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Philippines. American sports — long a uniquely domestic product — now has a global audience tuning in every weekend.

The Travel Paradox: More Global, Less Touring

Ironically, even as marquee games go international, the broader landscape of team foreign travel is declining. According to Sportico, international tour bookings have plummeted. Sport Tours International, which organized 18 collegiate trips before COVID, expects only 3-5 this year.

The reason? Money. With new revenue-sharing models and increased player compensation, sports organizations are reallocating budgets. The culture of team trips has shifted.

What This Means for Sports Organizations

This global expansion creates enormous opportunities — and equally enormous compliance challenges. When your team plays in Dublin, your roster includes players from a dozen countries, and your travel schedule spans multiple continents, your organization needs:

1. Immigration compliance expertise — International athletes on various visa types face strict employment restrictions that collide with NIL opportunities and revenue-sharing
2. Visa support infrastructure — Every international trip now requires careful planning around visa status
3. Cross-border regulatory awareness — Tax implications, employment law, and sponsorship rules vary by country
4. Scalable processes — You can't manage this with spreadsheets and good intentions

The organizations that figure this out first will have a competitive advantage in both recruiting and operations. The ones that don't will face compliance nightmares.

The Recruiting Advantage

International talent is increasingly critical to roster composition. In professional baseball, roughly 30% of MLB players were born outside the United States. In hockey, international players make up over 25% of NHL rosters. In collegiate tennis, international athletes make up 60-87% of rosters at top programs.

These athletes have choices. And increasingly, they're choosing organizations that can clearly explain:

• How they'll handle visa compliance
• What post-career pathways are available
• How they'll protect the athlete's immigration status during and after competition

The organization that can answer these questions confidently wins the recruit. Every time.

The Bottom Line

Sports are going global whether organizations are ready or not. The conferences are committed. The broadcast deals are signed. The games are scheduled. The question isn't whether your organization will be affected — it's whether you'll be prepared when it happens.