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Bill Belichick started his head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 [Getty Images]
Six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick says the possibility of a European franchise is a question for the NFL, but welcomes the global expansion of American football.
NFL fixtures regularly take place across Europe throughout the season and there also has an international pathway for players, but all 32 franchises are in the United States.
Belichick was speaking in Dublin before the American College Classic between his North Carolina Tar Heels side and the Texas Christian University, which is the opening round of the season.
The 74-year-old - regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time - took over as head coach of UNC in 2025 after a glittering 23 years with the New England Patriots in the NFL, where he won six Super Bowls.
When asked if he felt a European franchise was feasible or if it was something he would want to see happen, Belichick said it was "a question for the NFL and commissioner [Roger] Goodell".
"The NFL is very intent on building a global brand and you can see that in their scheduling this year," he said.
"Every time I've been part of those international games, the enthusiasm and the excitement is tremendous.
"I'm sure the NFL will continue to pursue that. College football is doing it with this game, so I think it is great for the game."
Belichick 'wisdom' guiding UNC on Dublin trip
Belichick highlighted that the possibility of the Jacksonville Jaguars relocating to London and Wembley had been explored in the past, but they ultimately stayed put and built their own new stadium in Florida.
He did, however, believe the travel involved would not stop a franchise being developed in Europe.
"It would certainly be a little bit of an adjustment coming here, but it's not a whole lot different than coming from the east coast to the west coast in the USA," Belichick added.
"Time-wise it's a long trip, but going from New York or Boston or Philly to LA or Seattle, it's about the same."
After 23 years in the NFL, Belichick said it was "important" for him to give back to the sport that "has been good to me and my family".
"American football is a great game, fans around the world love it.
"There's not a lot of it being played outside of the US, but I know when I visited places like Croatia or Germany there are a lot of local teams who play in their own leagues.
"It's super-popular. Anything I can do to give back to the game, whether that is in our country or internationally, I want to be part of that and I want to do it."
When asked if he would ever return to the NFL in a coaching capacity, Belichick said his full focus was on North Carolina.
"I recruited these kids and I want to help them," he added.
"I had a great experience in the NFL but I'm very happy to be at North Carolina and I'm excited about the future of our programme."
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