George Karlaftis Loves NFL Return to Munich on Nov 15

The NFL is back in Munich. On Nov. 15, the Detroit Lions host the New England Patriots at the Allianz Arena, with Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown — Germany’s most prominent NFL player — leading the home team, and the league’s international expansion is producing a split reaction among players, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis said, SPORT1 reported.

The game marks the NFL’s third visit to the Bavarian capital, after league games in 2022 and 2024, and it comes amid the biggest international schedule in league history: nine regular-season games outside the United States this season.

Karlaftis Loves Playing in Germany — and He’s Not Neutral About It

Karlaftis, 25, acknowledged to SPORT1 that his view on European games is personal. He was born in Athens and grew up in Greece until age 14, when his family moved to the United States. That background shapes how he experiences the league’s trips abroad.

Playing in Germany, he said, lets him see family. When the Chiefs played the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt in 2024, his relatives needed only a two-hour flight to reach the game. He called that Frankfurt contest a highlight of his career: the stadium, he said, was incredible, the fans warm and welcoming, and his wife and cousins — attending their first NFL game — were there.

On the broader expansion, Karlaftis said many players, especially younger ones who have never left the United States, genuinely love taking part. “It’s a whole different experience for them,” he said of the European trips.

The Other Side of the Locker Room

But Karlaftis also described the strain the international schedule places on players without European family ties. With 90 to 100 people traveling for weeks away from home, he said, some want to be with their families, and in a group that large, opinions will always be mixed.

The bigger issue, he said, is routine. The NFL season is long and highly structured, and the travel disrupts the habits players rely on. Still, he said he could see the difference between the Chiefs’ first and second games overseas — the situation for players had improved.

What’s Next in Munich

The Chiefs did not play an international game this season, and Karlaftis said he is already waiting for his next chance to play in Europe. The next confirmed date on the calendar is Nov. 15 at the Allianz Arena, where the Lions and Patriots meet in front of a German crowd that has embraced the league’s repeated returns to Munich.