The New Orleans Saints have been granted international marketing rights in France – the first NFL club to select and be awarded the French market – in what is also their first entry into the 'Global Markets Program.'

The National Football League has announced the growth of its 'Global Markets Program' for year two, with new clubs and new markets set to participate in 2023 following approval from the International Committee at the 2023 Spring Meeting in Minneapolis.

"We are excited to be awarded France as our NFL Global Market Program territory," Saints owner Gayle Benson said. "New Orleans and France have enjoyed a unique cultural connection for centuries and we are excited about working with the NFL and our partners in France to grow the game of American football. In addition to having the opportunity to market our team in France, we are looking forward to promoting our city and state and driving investment in local and regional businesses."

"We are thrilled to see the shared ambition of our teams in growing the NFL around the world, and this expansion demonstrates not only the momentum of the Global Markets Program as we head into year two, but the value the participating clubs are already seeing from this important initiative," said Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, Major Events & International. "We know that global fandom is accelerated through direct engagement with our clubs and players, and we are excited to see the continued impact of this program to reach and engage more fans and grow our sport at every level globally."

The 'Global Markets Program', which launched in January, 2022, was previously referred to as the 'International Home Marketing Area' program. The program grants NFL clubs access to international markets for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization activations as part of an important, long-term strategic effort to enable clubs to build their brands globally while driving NFL fan growth beyond the US.