Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Hosts NFL Game in 2025 Season

For the first time in its history, the NFL will hold a regular season game in Spain in the 2025 season, choosing Real Madrid’s renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as the venue. This move is part of the NFL’s ongoing effort to reach international audiences, as confirmed by officials on Friday.

This announcement came shortly after the league revealed plans for a game in Brazil in 2024, marking the NFL’s continued push into new global markets.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell highlighted the significance of this event, stating, “The 2025 game in Madrid underscores our commitment to expanding the NFL’s presence globally and our desire to bring the sport to more fans worldwide.”

Goodell expressed his enthusiasm for partnering with the iconic football club Real Madrid, as well as the local Madrid authorities, to host a regular season NFL game in Spain at the state-of-the-art Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The NFL has previously hosted 50 international regular season games in cities like London, Munich, Mexico City, and Toronto. The 2024 game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Corinthians Arena will mark the NFL’s debut in South America.

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, which now features a retractable roof after its extensive redevelopment, will showcase this landmark event. Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, praised the collaboration with the NFL, predicting it will elevate the global standing of both the NFL and Real Madrid.

The announcement precedes the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, where the San Francisco 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL officials noted Spain’s robust fan base of approximately 13 million NFL enthusiasts as a key factor in choosing Spain for the 2025 game, highlighting the strong local interest in American football.

Peter O’Reilly, NFL International executive vice president, affirmed the league’s long-term commitment to the Spanish market and hinted at exploring other new markets like France for future international games. However, he mentioned that expanding to Asia and Australia is not an immediate priority.

The decision to increase international games from four to eight per season starting in 2025 reflects the NFL’s strategy of broadening its international footprint through games rather than establishing a permanent team overseas. O’Reilly emphasized that the league’s current structure of 32 teams is effective and that the focus remains on expanding the number of games played internationally to engage more fans globally, rather than on expanding the number of teams.