The NFL confirmed Friday that Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium will host a regular season game in 2025. This is the first time that the NFL will have played an official game in Spain.
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, confirmed the news Friday in Las Vegas, a few days before Super Bowl LVIII. However, he did not clarify which teams will play in the Madrid stadium. Mundo Deportivo reports that it could be the Miami Dolphins and the Chicago Bears, as these two teams have international marketing rights in Spain.
😏Así se hacía oficial el anuncio
🗣️"Estamos orgullosos de anunciar que la NFL jugará en 2025 en Madrid en el icónico y transformado Santiago Bernabéu" pic.twitter.com/OSZPFvjffw
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) February 9, 2024
Goodell was pleased on behalf of the NFL to be able to expand the league and the sport internationally. The head of the NFL reiterated the league's ambitions to gain more fans around the world. "We are proud to partner with Real Madrid C.F., a global brand, together with the City of Madrid and Comunidad de Madrid, to bring a spectacular regular season game to Spain at the world-class Santiago Bernabéu Stadium," he concluded.
Along with Goodell, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez also congratulated the parties on the agreement and said he was enthusiastic about this "strategic alliance between Real Madrid and an organization of the prestige of the NFL."
The possibility of an NFL game being played in Madrid arose in 2023, after it was leaked that the league was evaluating the Santiago Bernabéu to see if it could be adapted to the NFL game.
Madrid thus joins the small group of cities that have hosted an NFL game outside of the United States. They are Frankfurt, Munich, London, Mexico City and Toronto. A game is also scheduled for Sao Paulo in 2024.
