Predicting who the Vikings could face in London in the 2024 season

When the Minnesota Vikings travel to London for a game in the 2024 NFL season, which team from around the league will they likely go up against?

On Thursday, the NFL revealed that one of the nine home games the Minnesota Vikings are set to have during the 2024 season will be taking place in London, England.

In addition to the Vikings, the league announced that the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers will also have one of their 2024 home matchups take place in an international venue.

Who will Minnesota face in London? Well, since it will technically be a home game for the Vikings, it will be one of the nine teams that are currently scheduled to travel to Minnesota during the 2024 season.

Who will the Minnesota Vikings play in London during the 2024 NFL season?

The nine teams that are eligible to be selected as the Vikings' opponent in London next season include the Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers.

There haven't been any matchups in London between two teams from the same division since the 2019 season, so the chances of the Bears, Lions, or Packers facing Minnesota across the pond seem unlikely.

The Falcons (in London) and Colts (in Frankfurt, Germany) both participated in an international game this season, so the league making these teams travel outside of the United States for a matchup two years in a row doesn't seem probable.

The 49ers and Cardinals also had an international contest against one another during the 2022 season when the two teams faced off in Mexico.

That still seems recent enough to think that the NFL probably won't make San Francisco or Arizona head to London for another international matchup against the Vikings this year.

So that leaves the Texans and Jets as the two teams that make the most sense as Minnesota's opponent in London next season.

New York last appeared in a London game during the 2021 campaign, while Houston hasn't stepped on the pitch for a matchup in London since 2019. So, it seems like the Texans are due for a trip overseas.

Plus, the Vikings would likely prefer to have their contest against the Jets next season take place inside U.S. Stadium, as it would be Aaron Rodgers' first return to Minnesota since Green Bay traded him to New York last year.

So, if one were to place a wager on who the Vikings might face in London next season, Houston seems like a safe bet.