The NFL seems set to arrive in Spain before France. The two countries were mentioned by a league official in November 2022. But Madrid seems to have taken a good lead.
According to Peter O’Reilly, vice president of the league cited by ESPN, emissaries from the NFL came to Spain in early September to visit sites that could host a regular season game. Two stadiums are obviously at the center of all attention: the Santiago Bernabéu of Real Madrid and the Civitas Metropolitano of Atletico Madrid.
The Santiago Bernabéu has two assets going for it. First, it has the largest capacity, with 83,168 seats, compared to its rival’s 70,460. But above all a retractable lawn system which could allow the installation of a field specially dedicated to American football.
Real Madrid did not hesitate to stage the possibility of an American football match in its stadium in a video posted on You Tube in 2022.
ESPN specifies that a match could take place as early as 2024 in the Spanish capital. As a reminder, it is the Dolphins and the Bears who obtained priority marketing rights in Spain.
The NFL in Madrid, but also Brazil
In Brazil, you still have to choose the city. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo were visited. Here again, the league could draw as early as 2024.
“Brazil and Spain are two strong and important markets,” assures O’Reilly.
In Brazil too, it was the Dolphins who obtained priority marketing rights.
Spain and Brazil have never hosted a regular season game. O’Reilly also explained to our colleagues that the league is studying the possibility of a match in Australia, even if the logistics are more complicated.
