The Panthers are joining forces with Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany's Bundesliga – the top tier of German soccer – to promote NFL football and the Carolina Panthers in Germany. Eintracht Frankfurt is competing in the UEFA Champions League this season after winning the UEFA Europa League.
As part of this effort, the Panthers will partner with Eintracht Frankfurt on multiple initiatives in Germany. The most notable will be a Super Bowl watch party hosted by the teams at Eintracht Frankfurt's Stadium in February.
"Our close collaboration with Eintracht Frankfurt will provide a familiar connection between the Panthers brand and German sports fans and help grow our fan base across the country. Events like our watch party also provide unique and memorable experiences for our fans and corporate partners and help strengthen our existing connections to the significant number of German companies with a presence in the Carolinas," said Carolina Panthers President Kristi Coleman.
The Super Bowl watch party isn't the first joint effort by the Panthers and Eintracht. The teams hosted a watch party in Frankfurt in September with Steve Smith Sr., Sir Purr, and the Top Cats.
That watch party welcomed close to 500 German Panthers fans to Eintracht Frankfurt's Stadium to cheer on the Panthers in their Week Two match-up against the New York Giants. The game was shown on a giant LED screen outside the 50,000-person venue. The party was hosted by Max Zielke of ProSieben, the German NFL broadcasting network. In addition, during the trip, Smith Sr. ventured out into Frankfurt and documented his exploration for Panthers' American and German fans—through both English- and German-speaking social media platforms (including Panthers.com, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook).
The Panthers returned to Frankfurt in October to host a youth flag football clinic and tournament as part of a broader effort to expand flag football throughout Germany. This effort included providing 25 youth flag football teams with game jerseys, shorts, mouthguards, and other Panthers-branded equipment. The winner of the Panthers Frankfurt tournament went on to win the overall Germany championship in Munich and will be representing all of Germany at the Pro Bowl, where all international teams will be competing for a championship.
"We were thrilled to expand the growth of flag football internationally and host the first-ever Panthers-branded NFL Flag Football Clinic in October. Flag football is a great way for kids to stay active while learning the game and getting a taste for the excitement and passion of NFL football," said Carolina Panthers Director of Community Relations Riley Fields. "We believe that flag football will be an important part of our growth internationally and teaching the game and providing 25 teams with all the gear they need was a meaningful way for us to make an impact in communities across Germany."
The Panthers also had a presence in Munich on the weekend of Nov. 12-13 when the city played host to its first-ever NFL matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers hosted fans and partners at a venue close to the stadium, which was decked out in Panthers colors and paraphernalia. Panthers fans made their team passion known by showing up and even winning tickets to the game with an in-person raffle.
These efforts follow a December 2021 announcement by the NFL that awarded the Carolina Panthers International Home Marketing Area (IHMA) rights in Germany. IHMA rights grant the Panthers access to Germany for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of the NFL's long-term, strategic effort to build global brands and drive NFL fan growth internationally. 19 teams are participating in the International Home Marketing Area (IHMA) in 10 different countries.
As part of the International HMA program, the Panthers have rights to pursue activities in Germany that are consistent with those available to the team in the Carolinas. This includes in-person and digital marketing, corporate sponsorship sales, fan events and activations, youth football activities, merchandise sales and co-marketing relationships with other sports and entertainment properties in the market.
With the League's commitment to International Games – all 32 clubs will play at least one international game in the next eight seasons – the League will use its best efforts to ensure clubs play their international games in their International HMAs, where possible.
