The NFL has selected Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich as the three German cities in the running to host regular-season games.

The league launched its search for a feasible location to stage further games outside of the United States earlier this year.

Since 2007, 29 regular-season games have been staged in London, six in Toronto and four in Mexico City, with 31 of the 32 NFL teams featuring – the exception being the Green Bay Packers.

At least four games will be played internationally each season from 2022 and Germany is set to host one of those contests after the bidding process was whittled down on Tuesday.

"After an initial period in which expressions of interest were received from multiple cities, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich have been invited to proceed to the 'candidate phase' of the process," the NFL said in a statement. 

"Those cities will now participate in deeper conversations about staging games in Germany."

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, which will host the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and last weekend put on the Atlanta Falcons against the New York Jets, has seven years left on a 10-year contract to host two NFL games annually.

But the NFL recently stated its desire to expand further across Europe, with France, Spain and the Nordic countries potentially next on the list after Germany.

Brett Gosper, NFL's Head of Europe and UK, said: "We want this to be a long-term partnership.

"The strong interest we have received from German cities underlines what a fantastic opportunity this is for a host, ranging from the significant economic benefits and global exposure to the chance to become a hub for the growth of the NFL's fan engagement, community and grassroots activities.

"As well as identifying a stadium that is fully capable of handling the logistics of an NFL game, we want to work with a host consortium that comprises local and regional government, stadium ownership, local stakeholders and potential commercial partners."