Houston Texans vs Oakland Raiders set for Mexico City, November 21

The Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders have the honor of bringing the NFL back to Mexico.

Continuing the NFL’s push for more international games, the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders will duke it out in Mexico City on November 21st, 2016.

The announcement came at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s Super Bowl 50 presser and builds off previous international success in London.

So, why does this matter?

The game, which will continue to turn the already lucrative NFL brand into an international success, is a Monday Night Football game. It will already have incredibly broad appeal for its audience as a result. It will be broadcast on ESPN in the states as well as Televisa and ESPN in Mexico.

More nfl spin zone: 5 Super Bowl facts before the big game

Further, the game features up and coming teams. The Oakland Raiders are exciting to watch for the first time in a decade and the Houston Texans are fresh off a return to the postseason and another AFC South division title.

But, perhaps most importantly, this is going to be a spectacle. The last time the NFL was in Mexico City was way back in 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played in front of over 100,000 people. The Cardinals stomped the Niners 31-14.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

If the NFL can build on that past success in Mexico City, they’ll be able to keep the momentum going on their International Series. Per the BBC, the league already thinks it’s a foregone conclusion that an NFL team will be in London in the next six years. So, where does the massively popular league go next? The United States’ neighbor to the South is a logical step forward.

The post at NFL.com announcing the game highlights several factors behind the decision:

"The decision to next move the International Series to Mexico was based upon several factors, including general fan interest, current NFL visibility through existing media agreements, the size and value of the overall sports and entertainment market there and the potential to build year-round marketing, sponsorship and fan engagement."

Both the Raiders and the Texans have put out statements expressing their excitement over the game to be played in Mexico City. They both cite how they can grow their global brands as a result. The Raiders, already one of the most well established brands in the NFL, have an opportunity to cement another key presence in a massive international city. The Texans, a team that is still relatively new, has a chance to expand further and without being in the Dallas Cowboys’ shadow.

Like it not, the NFL is looking to move beyond simply the NFL. Whether it’s Toronto, London, or Mexico City, there are ways for the National Football League to expand their reach beyond the roughly 300 million people in the United States. It is not unfamiliar territory for the NFL to try its luck outside the states and they will continue to push until a suitable market it found and can be tapped with regularity.

Is Mexico City the next spot to land an NFL franchise? Can the NFL afford to mess with the stability of its current eight divisions made up of four teams each? For a league that values parity so much, it’s hard to imagine a change in the current order and system.

More nfl spin zone: 2016 first round mock draft

And yet the appeal of an international team is clear. There are massive markets, like Mexico City, that are ripe for the taking. I for one am all for finding out if some cities, like Mexico City, are able to sustainably support an NFL team or if it all boils down to the NFL being an oddity, a trivial appeal that is nothing more than a spectacle.

We’ll find out how it begins to shake out with the next International Series matchup between the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders.