March 3, 2026, 3:05 p.m. CT
Could the New Orleans Saints play two games overseas in 2026? There’s precedent for it, and with news breaking Tuesday morning that the division-rival Atlanta Falcons will host a game in Madrid, Spain, you might even say it’s probable. The Saints will be playing a game in Paris, France just across the border. Having the Saints play a “home” game in Paris one weekend before facing the Falcons in a “road” game in Madrid the next weekend wouldn’t be the first time an NFL team has pulled off that feat.
It happened just last year when the Minnesota Vikings played two consecutive regular season games in two different countries. They met the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland before facing the Cleveland Browns in London in back-to-back weeks. While that’s just a 90-minute flight, it’s about two hours to get from Paris to Madrid. The Vikings saw this as a rare opportunity to take their show on the road. Team owner Mark Wilf told ESPN: “We’re club-first, but we are also very mindful of making sure the league and the sport grows. The more the business grows, the more the fandom grows, and it just makes it exciting for everyone.”
With a proof of concept in place, don’t be shocked if the Saints get voluntold into playing two international games in as many weeks in 2026. It would be a real shame to see the NFL’s best rivalry moved away from each team’s home stadium. The Who Dat Nation travels so well that Falcons fans might be happy to take a break from losing homefield advantage when the Saints come to town. We’ll find out who each team is playing in this year’s international series when the full 2026 NFL schedule is released in mid-May.
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