Tag: International Series

Nov 15, 2025; Madrid, Spain; A general overall view of Bernabeu Stadium, the site of the 2025 NFL Madrid Game between the Washington Commanders and the Miami Dolphins. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL confirms multi-year deal for games in Madrid

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The NFL announced a “multi-year” agreement Monday to continue playing regular-season games in Madrid, starting in 2026.

The league staged its first game in Spain during the 2025 season when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime on Nov. 16.

The game drew 78,610 fans to Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium, which will once again serve as the venue under Monday’s deal.

“It is an honor and a privilege for Real Madrid to host the NFL once again at the Bernabeu stadium,” said Real Madrid director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno. “We experienced a historic first NFL Madrid game a few months ago, and this new agreement will allow the alliance between our club, the Community of Madrid, the City Council and the NFL to continue, strengthening the image of our capital and the Spanish brand around the world. The transformation of the Bernabeu stadium is a major boost for sport to continue to be a unifying force for millions of fans across all continents.”

The Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Dolphins have marketing rights in Spain, where the NFL counts 11 million fans.

The NFL played six other international games in 2025: three in London, one in Berlin, one in Dublin and one in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

In addition to returning to Madrid in 2026, the NFL will play its first-ever game in Australia in Melbourne with the Los Angeles Rams as one of the participants. There will also be three games in London and one each in Munich, Germany, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with additional games to be announced.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before a game in Brazil between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL commissioner: International market can support NFL team

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London vs. Los Angeles in the Super Bowl?

An NFL team in Europe seems to move closer to reality every year, with Roger Goodell suggesting in a CNBC interview this week that multiple cities could be targets for an NFL franchise.

“There are markets that could certainly support a team,” Goodell said. “We’ve always focused on, what are the competitive consequences of that? Can we manage that? And so every year we try to learn something from the international series.”

That international series has grown from a single game per year in England going as far back as 2007 when the New York Giants earned a 13-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Single games continued through 2012 before two games were played in London.

There will be three separate games in England at two different locations this year, as part of an international series that will include seven games in 2025.

In addition to the three England games, the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers opened their schedule in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Germany, Ireland and Spain also will host games. The Los Angeles Rams are set to play a game in Australia in 2026.

“I would say that the markets outside the U.S. are very, very attractive,” Goodell said. “And we’ve got pretty good coverage here.”

The logistics of having a team across the Atlantic Ocean present a huge obstacle. In that sense, it might be more attractive for the NFL to have multiple teams in Europe.

“It starts to give you a sense of, can you do certain things that are going to be necessary from a scheduling standpoint and a training standpoint?” Goodell said. “When we first came up with the idea of (an international) regular-season game, I didn’t think there would be as much support. But now, every team wants to do it. We don’t have to talk them into it. They’re asking us.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; The NFL shield logo at midfield during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Steelers to play in NFL’s first regular season game in Dublin

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The NFL will play its first regular season game in Dublin in 2025, with the Pittsburgh Steelers signed on as the designated team.

The league announced the game on Friday but did not name an opponent for the Steelers or a game date. Details will come when the NFL schedule is announced in the spring.

The Steelers and Chicago Bears played a preseason game in 1997 at Dublin’s Croke Park, where the game will be staged this fall. It is the largest sports venue in Ireland.

The Rooney family, owners of the Steelers, have ties to Ireland. The team’s late chairman, Daniel M. Rooney, was U.S. ambassador to Ireland and a co-founder of the Ireland Funds Charity.

“We are very excited to be the designated team in the first regular season game to be played in Ireland this upcoming season,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “The opportunity for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in Ireland is truly special, not only because of the Rooney family history there, but also to play in front of the growing number of Steelers fans in Ireland. We are thrilled to be part of this historic event to represent Pittsburgh in a game that brings the NFL to the great sports fans in Ireland.”

The NFL International Games series continues to expand in 2025.

Three games will be played in London, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets already scheduled as the designated team for one game each. The Indianapolis Colts are the designated team in Berlin, with the Miami Dolphins holding that title for the International Games event in Madrid.

The game in Berlin will be the first regular season NFL game in the city, while the Madrid game will be the debut regular season game in Spain.

The league also recently announced that the Los Angeles Rams would be the designated team for a game in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026.

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2023; London United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) walks off the field after an NFL International Series game against the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL International Series: Jaguars play 2, No. 1 pick in London

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Sao Paolo to London to Munich, the NFL International Series dots the world map with games in three countries featuring two appearances by the Jacksonville Jaguars and an England visit for No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.

The NFL released the international portion of its schedule Wednesday morning with the full 2024 schedule due out later in the day.

Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets play the Minnesota Vikings in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Oct. 6, a Week 5 matchup that marks Rodgers’ second career NFL game overseas.

One week later, the Jaguars and Bears are at the same location in Jacksonville’s 12th international game. The Bears chose Williams at the top of the 2024 draft to pilot the rebuilt offense with weapons aplenty, including new additions Keenan Allen (via trade from the Los Angeles Chargers) and No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze at wide receiver.

Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick in 2021, is 3-1 in international games. He’ll be packing for two weeks because the team extends its England visit through Week 6 to play the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 20. It could be another duel with a rookie quarterback. The Patriots are under new management with Jerod Mayo at head coach and drafted quarterback Drake Maye third overall in April.

Germany is hot to the final international series game of the season on Nov. 10 pitting the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.

A Friday night Week 1 affair in South America was confirmed by the league weeks earlier with the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles meeting in Corinthians Arena in Brazil on Sept. 6.

–Field Level Media

Nov 5, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; The NFL shield logo at midfield during an NFL International Series game at Deutsche Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NFL nearing a vote on 2024 Brazil game

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The NFL reportedly is nearing a vote on awarding a 2024 regular-season game to Brazil.

A decision could be made Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in Dallas, according to ESPN.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said in October that another international locale could happen “as early as next year.”

The league has scouted locations in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil, as well as Madrid in Spain for a potential 2025 game.

“There’s a lot of interest in the NFL,” league executive vice president Peter O’Reilly told ESPN in September. “I mean, we saw it. We did a Super Bowl viewing party last year down in Brazil, and it was packed and the energy is there.

“You’ve got some classic soccer clubs around the world who are really interested in hosting the NFL and building a relationship with the NFL. So the marriage of those two — there’s interests there, for sure, and it’s just determining the timing and the approach.”

The NFL’s International Series featured three games in London and two in Frankfurt, Germany, this season.

The 2024 schedule includes action in Munich, Germany (one game) and London (three), with the participants to be determined.

The Miami Dolphins possess commercial rights in Brazil, and the Chicago Bears and Dolphins have rights in Spain under the NFL’s global markets program. The league has never played a regular-season game in either nation.

–Field Level Media

Nov 13, 2022; Munich, Germany; A general overall view of German and United States flags on the field during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL International Series game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jaguars, Chiefs to headline NFL international slate

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Five NFL games will be played in Europe in the 2023 season, with the Jacksonville Jaguars playing back-to-back games in London and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs part of the league’s debut in Frankfurt, Germany.

The league announced the international schedule Wednesday in advance of the full schedule release on Thursday. Other significant regular-season pairings also were teased.

In all, three games will be played in London, with two more in Frankfurt. The NFL hosted its first regular-season game in Germany last fall when the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers met in Week 10 in Munich.

A stop in Mexico City has been taken off the schedule this season with Estadio Azteca unavailable because of renovations in advance of the 2026 World Cup.

The 2023 international games are:

Week 4 (Oct. 1): Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley Stadium, London)
Week 5 (Oct. 8): Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London)
Week 6 (Oct. 15): Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
Week 9 (Nov. 5): Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Frankfurt Stadium)
Week 10 (Nov. 12): Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (Frankfurt Stadium)

The Jaguars are the first team ever to play back-to-back games abroad.

The Chiefs also announced Wednesday that they will host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 in the next edition in the budding rivalry between the teams and their star quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.

“Ending the year with a bang,” the Chiefs posted to social media.

The Chiefs and Bengals met in the past two AFC Championship games, both in Kansas City, with each decided by three points. The Bengals won in the 2021 season and the Chiefs at the end of the 2022 schedule.

In other holiday games, the Dolphins will visit Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in the first-ever Black Friday game in Week 12, and the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the rival New York Giants on Christmas Day.

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2021; London, England, United Kingdom; A general overall view of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the British and the United States flags on the field during the playing of the national anthem before the NFL International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals in Mexico, Saints vs. Packers, Jaguars in London in ’22

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International NFL games in London, Mexico City and Munich will include a matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Arizona is the “home” team for the 2022 game in Mexico City, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the home team for the game in Munich, Germany. In addition, the Jacksonville Jaguars are again hosting a game in London — at Wembley Stadium.

The NFL released information for all four international games on Monday and opponents are being announced later in the day.

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2019; London, United Kingdom; General overall view of the NFL shield logo at midfield during an NFL International Series game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NFL to name German cities in running to host regular-season game

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The NFL is set to announce the three German cities that are in the mix to host a regular-season game, NFL Network reported Saturday.

The naming of the cities will come Tuesday, per the report. Germany would be a new destination for the league’s International Series, and a game could be played there as soon as 2022.

The news of the potential expansion comes a day before the NFL’s first international game in nearly two years; 2020 games were canceled because of the pandemic. The New York Jets (1-3) and Atlanta Falcons (1-3) will meet Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Next Sunday, the stadium will host the Week 6 meeting between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.

In April, league owners agreed the NFL will play at least four games outside the United States every season, with each team hosting one international game every eight seasons. Two months later, the NFL requested proposals from German cities interested in hosting a game.

Games have been played in London and Mexico City since 2007, with London hosting all but three of the contests. Only the Green Bay Packers have not played in the International Series.

–Field Level Media