KC Reporter

The Kansas City Chiefs have a long history of participating in international football games, a tradition that traces back to the vision of team founder Lamar Hunt. The National Football League has included international pre-season games for 37 years and began scheduling regular-season games abroad in 2012. This season, the Chiefs are set to open against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil.

Lamar Hunt considered expanding American football internationally as early as 1965. At that time, he proposed an exhibition game in Mexico City. Before moving to Kansas City, the franchise played pre-season games outside its home city when based in Dallas. These matches took place in locations such as Tulsa, Oklahoma; Abilene and Midland, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Fort Worth, Texas; Miami, Florida; Lithonia, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and Wichita, Kansas during the club’s first six years.

Fort Worth was a common site for pre-season games involving the Texans/Chiefs. However, Hunt wanted to see his team play beyond U.S. borders. He thought a matchup between Kansas City and Houston would be logical due to their proximity to Mexico. In correspondence with a promoter at the time, Hunt stated: "I can almost assure you of getting a game" there.

While this proposed game did not occur in the 1960s, the Chiefs later participated in notable international matchups. In 1996 they played against the Dallas Cowboys in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2019 they faced the Chargers in Mexico City.

Over time, the Chiefs have competed in NFL-sanctioned games outside of the United States including Berlin (the first professional football game held there), Tokyo (twice), London, Frankfurt, Monterrey and Mexico City—and soon São Paulo.

"SOURCES: 'Team Operations Exhibition Games Hunt to Mr. Tommy G. Mercer, July 7, 1965.'"