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COSTA MESA, Calif. -- For the first time in a decade, the Los Angeles Chargers will travel abroad for a regular-season game. According to an announcement made by NFL UK, the Chargers will host the Tennessee Titans for a home game in Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 21) or Week 8 (Sunday, Oct. 28) at London’s Wembley Stadium. The contest will be a “home” game for the Chargers, so the Bolts will play seven regular-season home games at the StubHub Center in 2018. The move is part of a two-year commitment for the franchise to play one home game internationally for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, according to the team. The Chargers vs. the Titans is one of three games that will be held in London in 2018. The others are the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Oakland Raiders.  The team’s remaining home games for the next two years will be played at the Bolts’ temporary home, the StubHub Center. The Chargers and Los Angeles Rams’ permanent home at Inglewood Stadium is on track for completion in the summer of 2020.
Starting in 2007, the NFL has played games outside of the United States every year. The Chargers hosted the New Orleans Saints in Wembley Stadium on Oct. 26, 2008, a 37-32 loss. “It has been 10 years since we last played in London, and other than the outcome of the game back in 2008, the experience there among the international fans was pretty cool,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers told the team’s website. “I’m excited for the opportunity to once again play at a historic stadium like Wembley, and hopefully this trip will include the Chargers heading home with the win.” The Chargers’ trip to London will be the sixth game played abroad in franchise history and second in the regular season. From 1994 to 1999, the Chargers played preseason games in Berlin, Tokyo and Sydney as part of the league’s American Bowl series. The league is expected to announce the Chargers and the rest of the NFL’s schedule in the spring. But the home and away opponents for the Bolts are already known. Home opponents: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers. Away opponents: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills.
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