MADRID (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons will play their second NFL regular-season game this year in Madrid.
The Falcons’ opponents will be determined when the full season schedule is released later this year. The Falcons are expected to be the home team at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
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The Madrid game is part of a record nine international fixtures in 2026, including new host cities in France, Australia and Brazil.
Last year, the Washington Commanders faced the Miami Dolphins in their first game at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital. The Dolphins won 16-13 in overtime before 78,610 fans.
The Spanish national football team will play two World Cup matches at the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium this summer.
“We are extremely proud to be participating in the NFL’s regular season games at Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabeu,” Falcons president and CEO Greg Beadles said in an NFL statement on Tuesday. “Atlanta and Madrid are a fitting matchup as we will host two of Spain’s group stage games in the upcoming FIFA World Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”
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This will be the Falcons’ fifth trip to Europe and fourth in six seasons. Atlanta plays in Toronto in 2013, London in 2014, 2021 and 2023, and Berlin in 2025.
The NFL announced a multi-year deal in February to continue playing the regular season at the Santiago Bernabeu. The league said Spain was a “globally important market” with 11 million football fans. The company said it will also focus on the league’s national flag football efforts.
The Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears have marketing rights in Spain as part of the league’s Global Markets program, which gives NFL teams rights outside the United States to “build brand awareness and fan base through fan engagement, events and commercial opportunities.”
The NFL said it plans to increase the number of international games so that each team can play one game abroad each year.
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The NFL said it has played 62 regular season games outside the United States, with host cities including London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
