Patriots take their brand global

The New England Patriots are trying to win fans in Europe as part of the NFL's global markets program.

• The league announced new marketing rights for American football teams in certain international markets Tuesday.

Why it matters: Prior to the 2022 launch of the program, NFL teams were prohibited from marketing overseas. Now, they can sell sponsorships, set up fan clubs, and operate much like they do domestically.

• The Patriots previously had rights in Germany, and added the country's neighbors Austria and Switzerland this week.

State of play: The program now has 21 teams operating in 14 different countries. And many teams are in multiple countries, so it's 40 total markets.

• The Chiefs and Buccaneers are also active in the same central-European markets as the Patriots.

The Jets get to market themselves in the U.K., while the Jaguars and Steelers are operating in Ireland.