Originally Posted by BBC.co.uk

The New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play at Wembley on 25 October 2009, in the third competitive NFL game to take place in the UK.

Wembley secured the fixture despite interest from Murrayfield in Scotland and Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

"We are very excited at the prospect of welcoming two of the leading teams," said NFL UK boss Alistair Kirkwood.

"Both the Buccaneers and Patriots have strong fan bases here and are names that will be familiar even to those who don't follow the sport closely."

Following the success of the NFL's first trip to London, in 2007, the league committed to three further games in the UK. New Orleans beat San Diego in front of an 83,226 crowd in this year's event.

The Patriots won Super Bowls following the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons and won 18 successive games last season before an upset title game defeat to the New York Giants.

"We have had a lot of memorable moments in recent years," said chairman Robert Kraft in a statement.

"I am sure our trip to the United Kingdom next year will prove to be an unforgettable experience for our players and coaches, as well as the many fans that will travel to the game.

"I know that the UK is home to some of our most passionate Patriots fans."

Tampa Bay will host this season's Super Bowl on 1 February and the team is back in contention for the title after two poor season.

The team is owned by Malcolm Glazer, who also has a controlling interest in Manchester United.

"We look forward to being part of the NFL's global outreach and playing our great game in front of Buccaneers fans overseas," said Glazer's son Joel, Buccaneers executive vice-president and chairman of the Manchester United board.