Albeit scholars have conducted international franchising research for over two decades, our understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of this particular type of internationalization is still limited. In this article, we systematically review the literature related to international franchising and create a road map of extant knowledge. Through this review, we seek to provide a greater understanding of the use of theories, methodologies, and the emergent phenomenon of international franchise partnerships in multiple industries. Additionally, we detected inconsistencies in paradigms that allowed us to offer suggestions for future research. Among the opportunities for future research in the area of international franchising, constructs such as cultural sensitivity, institutional distance, management motivation, network complexity and financial performance need further attention.