Kansas City Chiefs Vs. Miami Dolphins Game Should Boost German Economy

with the ball during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 13, 2020. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

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The NFL officially announced that the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs will play on Nov. 5 in Frankfurt Stadium in Frankfurt, Germany. That contest should generate a lot of money for Germany.

Last year featured the first regular-season game ever played in Germany, and that Nov. 13 game — a 21-16 win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Seattle Seahawks — had a total economic impact of 70.2 million euros for the city of Munich, according to a study by The Sports Consultancy Group.

That included 32.2 million euros in direct spending, and NFL fans spent on average 333 euros per day in Munich during that weekend, which is significantly higher than the average Munich visitor typically spends (225 euros per day).

Gameday merchandise records as sales at Munich’s Allianz Arena were the highest ever recorded for an NFL game outside of the United States.

And this year’s first Germany game has an even more exciting matchup.

It had been rumored that the Chiefs and Chicago Bears were going to play in Germany, which would have featured Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy going against the team he previously coached.

But this one features a much more alluring reunion.

The Chiefs traded superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins before last season, and Hill responded with a career-highs of 119 receptions and 1,710 yards while becoming the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.

“It’s great for him and his family, so I’m happy for him, and that’s the way that we approach it,” Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. “But we also have good players and (General Manager) Brett (Veach) does it as well as anybody on finding people and bringing them in that he thinks will fit in the offense, defense and special teams.”

Despite trading Hill away, the Chiefs, of course, rebuilt with younger, cheaper talent and won Super Bowl LVII.

The week after the Hill revenge game, Frankfurt Stadium, home of Eintracht Frankfurt, will host the Indianapolis Colts vs. the New England Patriots on Nov. 12.

It’s no surprise the Patriots and Chiefs both have games in Germany this year.

As part of the NFL’s International Home Marketing Area (IHMA) plan, they are part of four teams — along with the Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers — to have marketing, fan engagement and commercialization access in Germany.

The Chiefs, who have made growing their brand in Germany a priority, have the highest social media engagement among teams with marketing rights in Germany and even have a tab on their official web site to translate the text to German.

They sent former stars Dante Hall and Tim Grunhard there in April to capture some B-roll footage and as way to further popularize the team.

In June of 2o22, the Chiefs and SPORTFIVE agreed on a comprehensive partnership to help grow their fanbase and business opportunities in Germany.

In August, DAZN exclusively broadcasted the Chiefs’ three preseason games in Germany.

Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt and President Mark Donovan spoke at SPOBIS, Europe’s largest sports business event, held in Düsseldorf in the fall of 2022, and the Chiefs launched a merchandise collaboration with DefShop in November.

“We are thrilled to be headed to Frankfurt this fall to play the Dolphins,” Hunt said in a prepared statement. “The Chiefs have a long history of helping to grow the game of football around the world, and we have been eagerly anticipating our chance to play in Germany.”

Last year the Chiefs were notified they would play in Germany, but they did not know their opponent or the exact date.

While preparing for a divisional playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Reid was asked about the opportunity to play in Germany.

He was obviously more focused on the playoff game but did joke: “I look forward to getting a bratwurst.”

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