Florentino Perez confirms NFL game will be played at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu

The American Football League (NFL) announced this Friday that it will play its first regular season game of the 2025 campaign in Spain. Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium As a setting.

The announcement of the NFL’s landing in the Spanish capital took place within the framework of Super Bowl which will be celebrated on Sunday in Las Vegas (Nevada) Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

“It is a great honor for Real Madrid to host this international event with the NFL in our home country over the next few years. For us you are a management model and a great traveling companion with whom we can share our dreams,” declared Emilio Butragueño, director of institutional relations of the Spanish team.

The former Merengue player attended the announcement Friday at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas with NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly.

“Playing a game in Madrid in 2025 reflects the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint and our ambition to bring our game to more fans around the world,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

nfl He did not elaborate on the date or the teams taking part in the first official match in Spain.

However, the two franchises that aim to be present are the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins, to whom the NFL has assigned commercial rights in Spain, a country that has been working for some time to host the most powerful sports league in the United States. Had been.

Madrid is the first international venue to be confirmed for the 2025 season and will then become the fourth European city to host a regular season match. London, Frankfurt and Munich.

Overall, Spain will be the fifth country to host international NFL matches after the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico and Brazil, starting the 2024 season with a game in Sao Paulo.

“The Spanish government is extremely pleased to be able to welcome the NFL,” the Higher Sports Council said in a statement. “We are confident that this experience will mark the beginning of a lasting relationship between the NFL and Spain.”

– “strategic alliance” –

As part of its global expansion strategy, owners of 32 NFL teams approved in December to expand international games to eight in the 2025 season.

Madrid was already considered for the 2024 calendar and NFL envoys toured the prestigious facilities santiago bernabeuwhich was the location ultimately chosen.

The stadium, with a capacity of approximately 80,000 spectators, has been the subject of a recent renovation with an investment of more than 800 million euros ($862 million).

Among other novelties, the renovation provided the home of Real Madrid with a cover and a retractable roof that facilitates its use for large sports and concerts.

“The arrival of the NFL to the Santiago Bernabéu is a great event in the history of the game,” said the president of the NFL. real Madrid, florentino perezThis is a statement.

“This strategic alliance between Real Madrid and an organization with the prestige of the NFL will promote our brands globally. “Millions of people on all continents will embrace it with enthusiasm and it is an honor to embark on this journey together,” he said.