Mexico loves the Super Bowl

Mexico loves the Super Bowl. But how can you tell?

One dead giveaway is a Super Bowl ad by Avocados From Mexico, the marketing arm for the avocado industry, which makes plain that Mexico not only gets the Super Bowl but they also understand the importance of seven-layer dip. This bodes well.

The spot, called "The First Draft Ever," portrays a prehistoric fantasy draft by which different countries bid for various plants and animals. If that sounds complicated, it's not. Watch here:

The ad — which will run in a 30-second form during the first quarter of tonight's game, according to AdAge —  is hilarious and wacky, sure, but it's also a barometer of how popular the Super Bowl is with our neighbor to the south.

The international TV audience for the Super Bowl has grown about 7 percent annually over the past three years, according to Bloomberg.

Fans in Mexico account for much of that growth. The Washington Post reports that there are more NFL fans in Mexico City than there are in DC, Boston, Orlando and Tampa.

Mexico City ranks seventh on this list of NFL fans by metropolitan area from FiveThirtyEight — that's pretty high, and definitely higher than London, which ranks 33rd but is where the NFL has been focusing most of its international efforts recently.

GlobalPost's Corinne Purtill reports that the NFL is "seriously considering a permanent UK team, after the unexpected success of its exhibition games in London’s Wembley Stadium" this year. Purtill continues:

NFL officials keen on the plan have said a London franchise could start up as early as the 2022 season.

But while the NFL has been focusing on London lately, there is a promising start to the sport in Mexico. The NFL played its first regular season game outside the US in Mexico back in 2005. It went well.

A total of 103,467 fans packed into Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium to watch the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers. That was then the largest attendance for a regular-season game in NFL history, according to Sports Business Daily. (It's also more people than can even fit in London's Wembley stadium, but whatever.)

The NFL hasn't been back to Mexico since, but Commissioner Roger Goodell says that could change:

After all, Mexico is closer than the UK to America, and one doesn't have to fly across an ocean to get there. What's not to like?

Tonight's Super Bowl will air live in 171 countries via 53 different broadcasters. Fans abroad can also stream it from NFL Game Pass, with a subscription.