According to the NFL, regular season games could begin in Germany as early as 2017 and China in 2018. For years the league has tried to expand its popularity overseas, as regular season games in London have been occurring for a number of years.
Football is the most popular sport in the U.S. by a wide margin and the NFL is a multi billion dollar business. The move to China is a bold gamble, but the league can certainly afford it. It is important to note that no vote would be necessary by owners to approve the China game, as they already authorized the scheduling of more international games.
We’ll have to wait and see if the game will gain popularity in Asia.