Former NFL defensive back Jason McCourty talks about what the atmosphere is like when the NFL takes the game overseas.
The NFL has added a new country to its list of global destinations.
The league announced on Friday that Spain will host the country's first ever regular season game in Madrid in 2025. The game will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which is home to Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.
"Playing a game in Madrid in 2025 highlights the continued expansion of the league's global footprint and the accelerated ambitions to take our game to more fans around the world," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "We are proud to partner with Real Madrid C.F., a global brand, together with the City of Madrid and Comunidad de Madrid, to bring a spectacular regular season game to Spain at the world-class Santiago Bernabéu Stadium."
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Spain will become the fifth country outside of the U.S. to host an NFL regular season game, joining the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany and Brazil.
The NFL made its first regular season venture to Germany in 2022 and announced the Brazil will host the league's first opening week Friday game in September. The Philadelphia Eagles were named one of the participants in that matchup, which will be played at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo on Sept. 6.
The teams that will play in the 2025 Madrid game will be announced at a later date, though Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's head of international affairs, said it will likely be an AFC team since teams in the conference will have an extra home game that year.
O'Reilly said the NFL continues to look at other countries, including France, to potentially host a game.
