Commissioner Roger Goodell’s vision for the NFL is pretty clear: he wants to expand the international game series to 16 matchups per season and push for an 18-game regular season. What hasn’t officially been on the table, at least publicly, is adding in more teams. However, a casual comment from UFL co-owner Mike Repole has now turned heads, because it basically suggests that the league’s ambitions might not stop there.

During a recent UFL press conference, while explaining why spring football does not need to compete directly with NFL or college football schedules, Repole indicated that the NFL is also considering expansion, potentially growing from 32 to 34 franchises.

“I think that, that just shows you how much people love football. I think the NFL is doing eight or nine or 10 international games this year, like crazy,” Repole said. “They’re adding an extra week, talking about two more expansion teams, you know. It’s great for football, it’s great for the NFL, it’s great for college football, and it’s great for the United Football League.”

Now, the league has not announced anything officially about them moving beyond 32 teams. However, Repole is not just anyone who comes bearing this breakthrough news. His comments carry significant weight due to his role in UFL and his proximity to the Las Vegas Raiders‘ minority owner and FOX analyst Tom Brady. If Repole’s comments do prove true, though, two obvious questions come to mind: Where would the NFL place its next franchises, and how much additional revenue could a 34-team league generate?

As for potential destinations, cities such as St. Louis and San Diego would likely enter the conversation. But then former NFL executive Eric Grubman had once said that he had a list “longer than an arm” of potential investors. In other words, the NFL would have no shortage of options. The financial side of the equation is even more intriguing.

Over a decade ago, Goodell talked about his dream of hitting $25 billion by 2027. The NFL had roughly $23 billion in revenue in the fiscal year that ended last March. The numbers include both national sponsorships and media deals across all 32 teams. In theory, the NFL is now expected to be on the verge of $25 billion in the fiscal year ending in March 2027.

Now, in a hypothetical scenario where the NFL expands to 34 teams in the near future, we have to assume that the two new franchises generate roughly the same revenue as the average existing team, with no other factors at play. If that scenario plays out, the math becomes pretty simple: the league would bring in roughly $26.5 billion in revenue. This number is not set in stone, though, because it could even rise if we consider multiple additional factors.

For starters, take international expansion, for instance, which Roger Goodell has been clear about. “I don’t take international expansion off the table. I think it’s very possible someday.” Top that with the fact that The Guardian added another layer, reporting that Goodell has been exploring the idea of a London team for a long time.

Then there’s the international games expansion. In the 2026 season, the NFL will host 9 international games across multiple continents, including Europe and Australia. That number will be increased to 10 in the 2027 season, with Goodell’s ambitions to have 16 international games per season.

“Our strategy is not one and done, so our goal is to go back to those markets that we’re establishing,” said league executive Peter O’Reilly. “There are parts of the world that we are looking at for future years, maybe not ’27, beyond. Asia would be an example of that. Japan would be a good example within Asia of a market that has complexity.”

In his conversation, O’Reilly also flirted with the idea of hosting the Super Bowl in the international market.

“I don’t know if I can fully parse that in terms of feasibility versus likelihood, but if you’re just talking feasibility, obviously, as we go to new stadiums around the world, we’re getting a better sense of those buildings,” he said. “As we go around the whole world, we get a sense of the passion there, and the partnerships, governmental partnerships, private sector partnerships, and otherwise. So I think all of that strengthens the foundation that you need to perhaps someday on a far off horizon have an international Super Bowl.”

And lastly, there’s an idea that Roger Goodell has been considering for some time now: Adding an 18th regular-season game. An aggressive growth with an 18-game schedule would mean more international games and more revenue for the franchises. At the same time, the league is also inching closer to a more lucrative media rights deal. Currently, the NFL generates $11.4 billion annually from media agreements, and according to reports, that figure could climb to roughly $16 billion per year when the next round of deals is negotiated. And then there’s inflation, which could also play a role.

Taken all together, those initiatives could have a significant impact on the league’s revenue. Whether through a franchise, additional international games, more regular-season games, or entirely different overseas markets, the NFL has much to gain. From larger international media-rights agreements, new sponsorship categories, expanded merchandising opportunities, greater broadcasting revenue, and higher franchise valuations. So, in other words, the $26.5 billion revenue figure looks achievable.

That said, while Roger Goodell once set a goal of reaching $25 billion in revenue by 2027, the way things are trending, the NFL commissioner could soon be aiming even higher. Much of that stems from his expansion ambitions, which now reportedly include the leaked plan of growing the league to 34 teams.