Patriots 2023 schedule: New England to play Colts in Germany debut

The New England Patriots will play their first game in Germany this fall, and they now know their opponents. As was announced by the NFL on Wednesday morning, the team will host the Indianapolis Colts on November 12 in Frankfurt.

The Week 10 game between the two long-time rivals is scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff. It will be broadcast at NFL Network.

The Patriots traveling to Germany during the 2023 season was first announced back in mid-January.

“Germany has some of the most passionate sports fans in the world and has always been an international leader in enthusiasm for American football and the NFL,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement.

“I’m thrilled to play a home game in this new market and to continue to build upon our team’s long history and engagement with German fans. Our goal is to connect with fans at the local level and I look forward to expanding that fan base and fostering additional relationships and opportunities for partnership in Germany as well as Austria and Switzerland.”

The game in Frankfurt will be the Patriots’ first international trip since a matchup with the then-Oakland Raiders in Mexico City in 2017.

In total, the organization has played abroad on seven different occasions through the years. The Patriots won regular season games in London in 2009 and 2012, and at Estadio Azteca in Mexico five years later. In addition, New England has played exhibition contests outside the U.S. four times, with the last of those taking place in 1998.

The Patriots and Colts last met during the 2022 regular season, a 26-3 New England win at Gillette Stadium. However, Indianapolis has changed quite a bit in the sixth months since and is now being led by first-year head coach Shane Steichen and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.