The NFL is set to stage a game at Real Madrid\u2019s Santiago Bernabeu stadium during the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
Sources briefed on negotiations, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, indicated the NFL was set to return to the Bernabeu for a regular season game this year, with the NFL and La Liga club considering hosting more matches at the stadium beyond 2026.<\/p>\n
The Bernabeu held its first NFL game in November, with the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders meeting in the Spanish capital. Sonia Cea Quintana, director of sports for Madrid city hall, told The Athletic<\/a> that tickets for the game \u201call sold out on the first day\u201d.<\/p>\n Madrid sources indicated the club enjoyed positive relations with the NFL and the plan is to have a long-term relationship with the league, consolidating plans to host further matches at the Bernabeu in the future.<\/p>\n NFL owners voted in December 2024 to expand the number of overseas games each year, designed to increase the sport\u2019s appeal abroad. This started in 2025, increasing from four to eight, and there could be up to nine in 2026.<\/a> This year, the NFL will play games in Melbourne<\/a> and Rio de Janeiro<\/a> for the first time and will return to Munich,<\/a> Madrid and Mexico, commissioner Roger Goodell announced<\/a> in London in October 2025.<\/p>\n In 2025, NFL matches were held in Sao Paulo, Dublin, London (which hosted three games), Berlin and Madrid.<\/p>\n