The first ever National Football League (NFL) regular season game to be played outside of the Americas will take place at Wembley Stadium on 28 October.
The Miami Dolphins will play the New York Giants at the new stadium, as part of the NFL’s plan to stage two season games outside of the US each year for the next five years to promote American Football.
The match is expected to bring 10,000 Americans, as well as NFL fans from around Europe, to the 90,000 capacity venue.
James Bidwell, Visit London chief executive, said: “The game is the first of its kind to be played outside the Americas and will undoubtedly be an incentive for fans of the Giants and Dolphins to travel to London to watch the game and experience our fantastic city.”
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone visited NFL officials in New York during October 2005 in a bid to secure the match and subsequent games may be played in London in 2009 and 2011.
In the 27 hours following the announcement of the match, more than 160,000 fans registered for over half a million tickets.
NFL UK's managing director, Alistair Kirkwood, said: "This is an overwhelming response and endorsement of the NFL's decision to play the first regular season game outside North America in London.
"These figures do not take into account the allocation of tickets for Dolphins and Giants fans in the US, so we expect a very quick sell-out when tickets go on sale in the spring."
