Miami Dolphins Announced as Hosts of First-Ever NFL Madrid Game in 2025

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) (R) celebrates with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL game in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Dec. 25, 2022. Jim Rassol/AP Photo

The international slate for the 2025 NFL season is coming into focus as the league has now established the home teams for all five of its announced games taking place on foreign soil. On Friday, the Miami Dolphins were selected as the host for the inaugural NFL Madrid Game as the National Football League heads to Spain for the first time in the regular season. The game will take place at the iconic Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which is the home venue for Real Madrid CF of La Liga.

“We are thrilled to play the NFL’s inaugural game in Spain, a country of rich history, tradition, and passion and home to a vibrant Dolphins fanbase,” said Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel on Jan. 17. “There is a hunger for football in this market, and we are proud to join with the NFL in growing the game internationally while engaging with old and new fans alike. With the unique synergy between Miami and Madrid, we believe this is only the beginning for us in this incredible region, and we look forward to bringing the excitement and community of Dolphins football to Spain in 2025 and beyond.”

In February 2024, the NFL announced it would head to the Spanish capital for the first time in 2025, and immediately, the Dolphins and Chicago Bears were pinpointed by many as potential teams to unofficially host. That’s because those two franchises hold international marketing rights in Spain, making one of them the obvious choice to debut in Madrid. The Dolphins ended up getting the nod, but they won’t be facing the Bears, as Chicago and Miami aren’t set to face one another in 2025.

The Dolphins’ opponent and date of the NFL Madrid Game will be announced at a later date, but Miami’s 2025 schedule has already been set. Outside of their divisional opponents—the Patriots, Jets, and Bills—the Dolphins will also have home games versus the Ravens, Bengals, Saints, Buccaneers, Chargers, and Commanders. The NFL has recently steered clear of divisional matchups for international games—as the last 15 games in Europe have been non-divisional matchups—so one of the six non-divisional clubs seems as the most likely opponent for Miami in Madrid.

Outside of Real Madrid games, Santiago Bernabéu stadium has also hosted the UEFA Champions League Finals, the 1982 FIFA World Cup Final, and Taylor Swift concerts. However, this will be the first NFL game of any kind—preseason or regular season—to not only take place at the venue but also in Madrid. However, Barcelona did host two NFL preseason games in 1993 and 1994, the league’s only previous ventures to Spain.

“This partnership with the NFL will bring one of the world’s most prestigious sporting competitions to the Santiago Bernabéu, a stadium which has welcomed millions of passionate fans from around the globe to enjoy incredible sporting experiences,” said Real Madrid institutional relations director Emilio Butragueño.

This will be the eighth international game for the Miami Dolphins franchise, and it hasn’t had the best of success previously. The team is just 2-5 all-time on foreign soil, as Spain becomes the fourth foreign country to host the Dolphins. They’ve previously played in Germany (2023), the United Kingdom (five times) and Canada (2008).

Spain will become the sixth country outside of the United States to host a regular-season game, joining the aforementioned, plus Mexico and Brazil, the latter hosting its first game last season. Fifty-five regular-season games have taken place in international locales, and that number will only exponentially increase in the near future. Starting with the 2025 season, the owners have approved the league to schedule up to eight regular-season international games each season.

The NFL Madrid Game joins four other previously announced games, with those host teams also already set. Berlin, Germany, will host its first-ever regular-season game at the historic Olympic Stadium this upcoming season, with the Indianapolis Colts named as the home team.

In the UK, the Jacksonville Jaguars will continue their London residency as a host team in 2025 at Wembley Stadium. Additionally, the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns will be hosts for their respective games at Tottenham.

As for future locations that could play host, Roger Goodell has publicly identified several new markets. One is Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, after the Brazilian capital of Sao Paulo hosted in the 2024 season. Another is Ireland, as Dublin has hosted nine college football games and a 1997 NFL preseason contest.

The league will announce any future international games for the 2025 NFL season at a later date. The full team-by-team, game-by-game schedule will be released in May, for what will be the 106th season in league history.