Minnesota Vikings to face New Orleans Saints in London Oct. 2
MINNEAPOLIS - Are you ready for some football in London? The Minnesota Vikings have done it before, and they’re headed there again during the 2022 season.
NFL officials announced Wednesday morning that the Vikings will face the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. The game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Oct. 2. The good news for the Vikings? They’re considered the road team for the game, so they won’t have to sacrifice a home game in Kevin O’Connell’s first season as head coach to play across the pond.
The NFL's international schedule in 2022 will feature three games in London, and one each in Germany and Mexico City.
"We are thrilled to once again represent the NFL on a global level and to have an opportunity to play in front of our international fans," Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf said in a statement. "With our previous London games in 2013 and 2017 and our successful 2021 bid to land the United Kingdom as an international home marketing area, we have seen tremendous international support. This is another chance to directly engage with Vikings fans across the world and bring exposure to Minnesota’s impressive business community and tourism industry."
The 2022 schedule now features their nine guaranteed home games, 7 road games and one neutral site game. The NFL switched to a 17-game regular season in 2021, and the Vikings’ extra game was on the road at the L.A. Chargers as the AFC got the extra home game. This year, NFC teams get the additional home game.
The Vikings have played in London twice before, and they’ve flown from each game victorious. The Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 in 2013 at Wembley Stadium. In 2017, they beat the Cleveland Browns 33-16 at Twickenham Stadium.
The Vikings will learn their full 2022 slate during the NFL’s schedule release on May 12. Minnesota’s 2022 home opponents are the Bears, Packers, Lions, Cowboys, Giants, Jets, Patriots, Cardinals and Colts. The road opponents are the Bears, Packers, Lions, Eagles, Commanders, Bills, Dolphins and Saints.
We’ll learn how the schedule will fall and when the Vikings will play on Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football on May 12. The Vikings will soon start rookie minicamp, after selecting 10 players in last weekend’s NFL Draft and signing nine undrafted free agents.