Colts beat Commanders 30-13 as NFL begins London series amid ticket concerns
The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Washington Commanders 30-13 in a London Series regular-season game at Tottenham on Sunday, a match that attracted 60,907 spectators after the NFL reduced ticket prices.
The league says its UK fanbase has grown to 18.6 million, with 4.5 million classified as 'avid' supporters, and historically all 43 London games have been near capacity at Wembley, Twickenham and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; yet thousands of tickets remained available for two of the three scheduled UK fixtures this year. The NFL is staging a record nine regular-season games abroad this season, and while the Philadelphia Eagles' trip to Tottenham next week sold out within hours, organisers reported large unsold sections for the Wembley fixture on 18 October.
Tickets for Sunday's Indianapolis–Washington game first went on sale in July priced between £79 and £245, but the NFL cut prices twice — in late August and again last week — leaving some attendees who paid £185 seated next to fans who had paid £79 only days earlier. Organisers also offered discounts or free entry through the Blue Light Card and Tickets For Good platforms.
Matt Cullen, who travelled from Cambridge to most London games, blamed higher prices and the end of season-ticket packages for weaker sales and said: "I find the prices now mind-boggling," adding: "It's so far above the rate of inflation that it just feels like a money-grab. It's priced out a lot of long-term fans." In 2019, tickets ranged from £55 to £125; Ticket-Compare says UK inflation has since risen by about 32.4% while the cheapest NFL London tickets have risen by 43.9% and the most expensive by 96.5%. Season-ticket packages that guaranteed seats and provided discounts were scrapped after the 2024 season, a change Cullen described as: "It felt like a kick to the head for a lot of loyal fans who'd supported the games for a long time and spent a lot of money," while conceding: "But I do understand the NFL wants to bring new fans in."
Some UK fans have also questioned the calibre of match-ups coming to London compared with games staged in newly added international markets: Australia hosted a divisional clash between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams last month, and the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys played in Brazil last week. Cullen said of those fixtures: "It was an amazing game and we haven't had many of those unfortunately." The Eagles, who have reached two of the past four Super Bowls, are the highest-profile team scheduled to visit London this year and their Tottenham fixture next week is a sell-out despite being the most expensive ticket on offer.
Former season-ticket holder Dave, who will travel from Chorley to see the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Houston Texans in two weeks, described the removal of season packages: "We were all gutted when they took the season tickets away," and added: "The way we saw it, we weren't wanted anymore because we didn't spend the money that new fans do on merchandise and we get to the stadium later. "But it has opened it up for more fans to have the opportunity to attend so it's a double-edged sword."
On the field, Washington recovered a Colts fumble on the game's second play, but Indianapolis took control later when third-choice quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis — replacing the injured Marcus Mariota — threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Treylon Burks in the third quarter. The Commanders believed they had levelled after Antonio Williams ran in an 87-yard score, but the touchdown was overturned for a Washington penalty; Daniel Jones later sealed the Colts' victory while Jonathan Taylor ran in two touchdowns and produced a tea-sipping celebration.
BBC Sport spoke to dozens of fans at Tottenham and found none were aware prices had been reduced, nor did they appear concerned; American visitors accept there is no comparable tailgating experience in London, yet attendees and players still noted the eclectic crowd. Fans travelled from across the UK, Europe and the US wearing jerseys from many NFL teams, sang Sweet Caroline and Wonderwall in unison, and the match attracted celebrity attention — Simone Biles wore a customised outfit bearing her husband's name and number as she supported Colts safety Jonathan Owens, Noel Gallagher was booed on the big screen and Wayne Rooney attended wearing a half-and-half scarf. Dave said: "It's still one of the greatest sporting events that neutrals can go to," adding: "I don't think there's any other sport where you'd get tens of thousands watching teams they don't support. "It was always a celebration of the game. People would go for the love of the sport rather than the two teams that were playing and I think that's still the same."
The next London fixture is Tottenham's sell-out meeting between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, while the Wembley game on 18 October still showed large sections unsold.