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(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Vikings will have another international game this 2026 NFL season. While they don’t need to travel across the Atlantic Ocean, Minnesota will need to hop across the southern border to play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

Minnesota traveling to Mexico City to face the Niners in Week 11 will be part of a tough November, with the Vikings playing the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers before facing the 49ers.  

Despite the game against San Francisco capping off a challenging month for the Vikings, Aaron Jones Sr. is excited about playing in Mexico City, given his love for the culture and its role in his upbringing while living in El Paso.

“I’m so excited,” Jones said in a May 14 video on the Vikings YouTube channel. “I keep a sombrero in my locker, one in my car, and one at home. I also have a poncho on my chair. Mexican culture has been a huge part of my upbringing since moving to El Paso, along with the culture there as well.

“I know I have a lot of love there, and the love is mutual right back at them. That’s part of why I wear the stuff I do. I’m already planning to walk into the game wearing a purple-and-gold mariachi suit.”

Last season, Jones posted a 65.0 overall PFF grade while carrying the ball 132 times for 548 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and forcing 12 missed tackles as a runner. As a receiver, he caught 28 passes on 37 targets for 199 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Aaron Jones Wants People From El Paso in Mexico City

Moreover, Jones is encouraging everyone from El Paso to head down to Mexico to cheer on the Vikings.

“Super excited about that one,” Jones added. “Feel like it’s going to feel like a home game. Everybody in El Paso was super excited about it as well. So, hopefully, we get a lot of those guys traveling down. It’s about a 3.5-hour flight from El Paso. El Paso and show up for the Minnesota Vikings.”

Justin Jefferson Excited for Vikings-Saints Matchup

Meanwhile, another player on the Vikings team that has a game circled on the schedule is Justin Jefferson. The Minnesota star will get to play in his home state when the Vikings play the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.

On May 15, Jefferson spoke about what it meant to play in his home state, given that his first experience playing in New Orleans was early in his NFL career, during the COVID era.

“I’m excited,” Jefferson said on the May 15 edition of “Good Morning Football.” “I’m excited for sure. The last time I’d been to New Orleans was, I think, Year 2 or the COVID year, one of the two. So it’s been a couple of years, and I’m definitely looking forward to being in front of my family and friends.

“Of course, being in the stadium where I won the national championship, just all of the great memories that I’ve had growing up and over the years of playing football. And I’m always trying to beat the home state.”