Madrid to host NFL regular-season game in 2025

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- NFL players will compete in Spain for the first time, with Madrid hosting a regular-season game in 2025, the league announced Friday.

The game will be held at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the home of Spanish La Liga power Real Madrid.

The NFL teams will be announced later. The Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears have international marketing rights in Spain.

"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 in a news release.

"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."

The NFL has held 50 regular-season games internationally in London, Munich, Frankfurt, Mexico City and Toronto.

The league will hold its first South American game in 2024, with the Philadelphia Eagles serving as host Sept. 6 at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil