Robert Kraft Wants the Patriots to Play in Scotland. The World Cup Made Him Sure of It.

The World Cup came to Foxborough this summer, and it did exactly what Robert Kraft hoped it would do. It made him want more.

Scottish fans flooded Boston. They filled the pubs, the streets, and Gillette Stadium for their team’s matches. And Kraft, the Patriots owner, watched all of it and started thinking about what it would look like if his team went to them instead.

According to Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe, Kraft has expressed serious interest in the Patriots playing an international game in Scotland. The NFL has never played a regular-season game there. Not one. So if Kraft gets his way, the Patriots would be the first.

It fits with what the league wants. Roger Goodell has been pretty open about this. The NFL is expanding its international footprint fast. In 2026, there will be nine international games across seven different countries. That’s the most the league has ever scheduled in a single season. Goodell has even floated the idea of 16 international games per year, plus an international Super Bowl somewhere down the line. That would put every team in one overseas game every season.

“That’s an important mark to shoot for and I think we’re on our way,” Goodell said back in February. “It’s the ambition we have to be a global sport, but it’s also the demand we’re having. We’re hearing from cities that want to host these games and really want to get more American football.”

Yang also noted that, per Goodell, about 90 percent of the crowd at those international games are locals from the host country. They’re not traveling fans. They’re people who want to see American football in their own backyard. And after watching Scottish fans fill Boston for World Cup games, it’s not hard to imagine those same fans turning out for a Patriots game in Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Kraft has a personal connection to Scotland too. His family roots trace back there. But the business case is the real driver. The NFL has made it clear it wants to be everywhere, and Kraft wants his team to be part of that push.

The timing lines up. The 2026 international schedule is already set, but 2027 is wide open. It’ll be interesting to see if the Patriots are on that list when the NFL announces those matchups.