American football’s elite NFL has announced that it will return to Spain in 2026 as part of a multi-year agreement to stage fixtures at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The new agreement, struck with the City of Madrid and the Community of Madrid regional government, as well as Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid (who own the 84,000-capacity stadium), will ensure that games return to the Spanish capital for several years to come.
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Speaking on the announcement, NFL Spain country manager Rafa De Los Santos commented: “This multi-year commitment to playing games in Madrid – a world-class global cultural and sporting destination – underlines our commitment to the market and enables us to continue to engage fans year-round and invest long-term in initiatives like NFL Flag and youth participation nationwide.”
The league boasts 11 million fans in the market and will support flag football initiatives in the country.
Emilio Butragueno, the director of institutional relations at Real Madrid, added: “This new agreement will allow the alliance between our club, the Community of Madrid, the City Council, and the NFL to continue, strengthening the image of our capital and the Spanish brand around the world.”
The first NFL Madrid Game came in 2025, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 after overtime, with a crowd of 78,610 in attendance at the Bernabeu.
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By GlobalDataThe Dolphins are one of three NFL franchises, alongside the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs, to have marketing rights for Spain as part of the NFL’s global markets program.
In 2025, the NFL’s debut in Spain attracted a number of commercial partners, including Sports Illustrated Tickets, betting firm Bwin, car company Toyota, and bank Santander.
The NFL held seven international games in the 2025 campaign across five cities, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been open about his ambition to have as many as 16 international fixtures each season.
Seven games have already been confirmed for the 2026 campaign, with three in London (UK), one in Melbourne (Australia), one in Munich (Germany), and one in Rio De Janeiro (Brazil).
That list could yet expand to eight, with Paris, France, reportedly set to announce its own debut NFL fixture.
The New Orleans Saints franchise, led by team president Dennis Lauscha, has long pushed for a game in the country, and now French outlet RMC Sport has reported that the 80,000-capacity Stade de France will play host to the Saints facing the Cleveland Browns in 2026.
The Stade de France is the country’s biggest stadium by capacity, and already hosts high-profile soccer and rugby matches for France’s national teams in those respective sports.
Back in November 2025, Lauscha said that the NFL was engaged in talks over hosting a game in the country
The Saints are the sole holders of marketing rights for the French market (including Monaco), and earlier in 2025 sent a player-led delegation to activate in the country.
Goodell’s dream of 16 international games, with each team playing abroad once per year, is likely to have to wait until the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires in 2031 and a new model is negotiated, but in maximizing the number of new markets the league visits before then, he is laying the groundwork for greater expansion later down the line.
Currently, the CBA limits international games to a maximum of 10 per season.
The only 2025 game host not confirmed for 2026 is Dublin, Ireland.
