The National Football League (NFL) will play its first-ever regular-season football game in Spain in 2025, the league announced on Friday.
The game will be played at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. The stadium is the home of the soccer team Real Madrid C.F. and has a seating capacity of 85,000+.
“Playing a game in Madrid in 2025 highlights the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint and the accelerated ambitions to take our game to more fans around the world,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “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.”
Back in December, NFL teams voted to increase the number of International games from four to eight beginning with the 2025 season.
“The National Football League’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu is a major event in sport history,” said Real Madrid C.F. President Florentino Pérez. “This strategic alliance between Real Madrid and an organization of the NFL’s prestige will boost our brands globally. It will be enthusiastically welcomed by millions of people on all continents, and it is an honor to embark on this journey together.”
“The union between Madrid and the National Football League is full of passion and excellence. We thank the NFL for having the trust in Madrid to host an unprecedented celebration in a legendary and renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium, that will no doubt vibrate with every play of this historic event,” said Mayor of Madrid Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida. “The arrival of the NFL in Madrid will make us hosts of the most important league in the world, and the city will welcome our partners with open arms in 2025 and be ready to make history together.”
The NFL previously announced that a regular-season game will be played in Brazil for the first time during the 2024 season. Other International games for the 2024 season include three in London, England — two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley Stadium — and one at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.