NFL international games: League announces return to Spain in 2026 as part of multi-year partnership
- - NFL international games: League announces return to Spain in 2026 as part of multi-year partnership
Chris Cwik February 2, 2026 at 7:20 AM
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NFL international games: League announces return to Spain in 2026 as part of multi-year partnership
In 2025, the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders played the first-ever NFL game in Spain. The whole event went well enough that the NFL is going to do it all again in 2026.
The league announced Monday it would return to Spain for another international game next season. It's part of a multi-year partnership with the country, meaning the league will likely play multiple games in Spain over the next couple years.
The NFL announces a return to Spain in 2026 as part of a multi-year partnership with Madrid. pic.twitter.com/x2I5ez5IyP
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 2, 2026
The 2026 game will be played at Bernabéu Stadium, which hosted the Commanders and Dolphins this season. That contest, which took place in November, went to overtime, with the Dolphins picking up a narrow 16-13 win over the Commanders. The NFL has not announced which teams will take part in the Spain game in 2026.
With the announcement, the NFL now has seven international games on its schedule for the 2026 season. The league will play one game in Australia, one game in Brazil, one game in Germany, three games in the U.K. and one game in Spain. The NFL has confirmed the Los Angeles Rams are one of the teams that will play in Australia and the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams playing in London. But the league has not announced additional teams for its international games next season. The NFL has also not announced dates or times for any international game in 2026.
The league first starting playing international games in 2007, when the Dolphins faced the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in London. Since then, the league has essentially had at least one international game in every season, though no international games took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The NFL has made an attempt to expand the countries in which it holds games, with Brazil, Ireland and Spain all being added to the mix since 2024.
Source: “AOL Sports”
