Could the NFL really add another expansion team to the league? Football is the most beloved sport in the United States, and is growing in viewership each year, as evidenced by the record-setting television ratings through the first two weeks of the 2025 regular season. The Alamodome was built with the dream of one day having its own NFL franchiseGettyIt is estimated that 20.7 million people tuned in, which is up four percent from last season, and up 17 percent from 2023, per Ari Meirov.Furthermore, according a poll conducted by YouGov in January, 60 percent of millennials are devout NFL fans, which showcases that the appetite for the sport is very much there. As such, it would make a lot of sense – financially – to expand the league from its current 32-team set up, which is something the NFL is seeking to do in the future. Over the past 30 years, only four teams have joined the NFL, the most recent being the Houston Texans in 2002, along with the Baltimore Ravens (1996), Carolina Panthers (1995) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1995). Whether the league’s next expansion team will come in the US, though, remains to be seen, with the NFL having a plethora of fans globally. As a result, this has seen teams travel internationally, with 56 regular-season international games having so far been played outside of the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Germany and Brazil. The 2025 season sees eight games staged outside of the US, including a debut game in Spain.The Los Angeles Chargers handed the Kansas City Chiefs a 27-21 defeat in São Paulo in Week 1 to kick off off the international series for this season.Texas has emerged as a suitor for an expansion teamHowever, should the NFL look to expand stateside, then one city in particular stands out as an ideal location – Austin, Texas. The state of Texas may already house both the Dallas Cowboys and the Texans, but the Austin metro area wants to join the party. Austin has a population of 2.4 million, but the capital is just 80 miles away from San Antonio – who also dreams of an NFL franchise – where the Alamodome was built.When set up for football, the Alamodome has a capacity of 64,000GettyThis stadium, which can house 64,000 fans when set up for football, was built with the sole purpose in mind that the Alamo city would one day play host to an NFL franchise.It can also host baseball and basketball, where it was formerly the home of the San Antonio Spurs from its opening in 1993 to 2002, before they departed for the Frost Bank Center. According to AI, it is San Antonio that is deemed the city most likely to get an NFL team, whether that be an entirely new team, or a relocation team.“San Antonio being ranked as the next city to get an NFL franchise is exciting for those that live in that area of Texas, and will allow the sport to grow further across the United States,” FlashPicks Head of Operations Callum Broxton said via the San Antonio Current.“It would become the third Texas city with an NFL team, drawing the Lone Star State equal with California.”The Alamodome is not up to NFL standardsThe Alamodome has also played host to NCAA Final Four tournaments in the past, five times in the last 28 years to be exact. The Alamodome has hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four five times in 28 years.GettyDuring that time, it has received nearly $300million in total upgrades, which has ‘elevated’ San Antonio to new heights. “Right off the bat (the Alamodome) elevated San Antonio to a level it had never seen,” Assistant Director of Convention & Sports Facilities Steve Zito told CBS Sports in April. “It’s been going ever since. It’s critical.”However, the curtain may be closing on the $186m Alamodome hosting the Final Four again, with the city being told that they have to do even more to the stadium to bring it up to the standards of other stadiums, especially current NFL venues which cost billions to build.This is something that San Antonio Sports President and CEO Jenny Carnes has recognized. “That’s certainly been communicated to us in a way by the NCAA,” Carnes said. “Everybody here realizes that.“We’re really at a point where we have to make some moves…”The NCAA has told the Alamodome it needs to be brought up to today’s standard if it is to be successful in its bid to host more NCAA Final Four tournaments in the futureGetty“It’s time for something more than we’ve been doing the last 20 years in terms of renovations and upgrades. “I think that’s one of the only ways we’re going to stay competitive when it comes to stadium concerts, any chance to host a round of the College Football Playoffs and certainly the NCAA men’s Final Four.”Jerry Jones has made his feelings clearBut Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has also made comments in the past strongly opposing the NFL bringing a team to San Antonio due to his belief that football fans in the city are part of the fanbase of America’s Team. “Certainly, San Antonio is a great city and a great sports town,” Jones said in 2014, per NBC DFW.“I’d like for some of that stuff that’s in the drinking water down there, that the Spurs get, to get some of that to the Cowboys.”Of course, back in 2014 the Spurs had just come off winning the NBA Finals, and under coach Gregg Popovich were considered one of the Association’s best teams. Jerry Jones was opposed to the idea of San Antonio getting its own NFL team back in 2014GettyThat same summer, it was reported that the then-Oakland Raiders had met with Alamo City officials about the possibility of relocating to San Antonio.Upon learning of that news, Jones thought he was being tricked. “I thought it was somebody joking with me when they came out here,” Jones said.“So, I don’t have any comment other than how valued we feel, and the Cowboys feel, about our fans in San Antonio.”Of course, those plans fell through with the Raiders eventually relocating to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. According to Windfall, the Riverside metro area in California is the closest competitor to the Austin metro area to land an NFL franchise, and is the largest metro area without one.The Raiders held initial talks to move to San Antonio in 2014, but have since moved to Allegiant Stadium in Las VegasGettyThe caveat to having a team in the area which houses 4.6 million people is that two teams already occupy the Los Angeles television market, and adding a third would complicate the financial split between the three. With the NFL booming in popularity, it seems only a matter of when, not if, a new team joins the fold, and both Austin and San Antonio will be sincerely hoping they are the first choice venue.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more.