SAN FRANCISCO — The NFL’s international plan for the 2026 season is now at an unprecedented scale as the league has completed agreements to return to Spain and play in France for the first time.
The multiyear pact with Madrid political leaders and LaLiga’s Real Madrid involves the league returning for another global game at the club’s Bernabéu Stadium. The Commanders and Dolphins played there in November to cap a seven-game international slate in the 2025 schedule. The game, won by Miami 16–13 in overtime, drew a robust crowd of 78,610, and NFL officials called the event “a pivotal moment for the sport in Spain.”
The return engagement will seek to advance the NFL’s presence in another important European country for the league. The upcoming game, meanwhile, will also take further advantage of a $1.6 billion renovation to Bernabéu Stadium completed in late 2024.
The Bears, Chiefs, and Dolphins have rights to Spain in the NFL’s Global Markets Program.
Paris Engagement
Shortly after the early Monday announcement of the Spain deal, the NFL unveiled a separate pact with French authorities to play a game at Stade de France—the country’s national stadium—with the Saints named as one of the participating teams.
Paris, of course, was the site of the hugely successful 2024 Summer Olympics, and France has long been an economic and cultural power across Europe. The inclusion of the Saints will, in part, look to link between the French heritage in Louisiana and the Paris setting.
“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris,” said Saints owner Gayle Benson.
The Saints are currently the only team with French rights in the Global Markets Program.
Growing Globally
The Spain and France deals, meanwhile, advance what will be a record level of NFL overseas games in 2026. The following cities are already confirmed for next season:
- Madrid
- Paris
- Rio de Janeiro in a similar return to Brazil
- Munich, in a continuation of annual games in Germany that are set through at least 2029. Eleven of 32 NFL teams have rights to Germany in the Global Markets Program, a figure higher than any other country
- Melbourne in a first-ever regular-season game for the NFL in Australia. The Rams will be the designated home team in that contest
- Three games in London
That eight-game international slate exceeds the seven played in 2025 and had been previously identified as a minimum baseline for the league in future seasons. The NFL, however, continues to actively consider other countries for games, including Mexico, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia, among others.
“We’ve laid out a dozen or 13 priority markets, and we’re starting to do the due diligence,” said NFL EVP Peter O’Reilly during the league’s fall meeting.
The full 2026 schedule will be released in May, but the planned international games will be known before then.
More broadly, the NFL has made no secret of its goal to ultimately reach a full season of international games. Most recently, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that “we’re going to push like the dickens now to make international more important with us.”
