The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the New York Jets on Aug. 2 at Tokyo Dome in the NFL Tokyo 2003, the game's organizers announced Wednesday.
This will be the 12th American Bowl in Japan, but the NFL preseason game will be held on a Saturday night for the first time, with kickoff at 6 p.m. Past American Bowls have been played on Sunday mornings.
The Bucs, led by the league's best defense, compiled a 12-4 record last season en route to winning their first NFL title by beating the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl in January.
The Jets, featuring fourth-year quarterback Chad Pennington and running back Curtis Martin, won the AFC East with a 9-7 record but lost to the Raiders in the divisional playoff.
Bucs linebacker Shelton Quarles and Jets linebacker Marvin Jones are currently visiting Japan to promote the game. They are scheduled to attend an autograph session in Tokyo, visit Azuma Sumo Stable and attend Friday's Yomiuri Giants-Chunichi Dragons game during their four-day stay.
Tickets go on sale Saturday at major ticket outlets.