NFL announces Falcons will play in Madrid this season

The Falcons will be playing in Madrid, Spain, in 2026.

The NFL announced today that the Falcons will be one of the participants in the previously announced Madrid game. It is expected to be a Falcons home game, and the Falcons will play eight games in Atlanta. NFC teams have nine home games in 2026.

The Falcons' opponent has not been announced, but of their nine home opponents this year, the Lions, 49ers and Saints can be ruled out because they already have international games set for this season. Two of the Falcons' 2026 home opponents, the Bears and Chiefs, have international marketing rights in Spain, so they would be natural choices to play there.

The game will be played at Bernabéu, home of soccer team Real Madrid. The date of the game has not been announced. It is expected to be a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff, which has become the standard kickoff time for NFL games in Europe.

The NFL is planning a total of nine international games this season, with Madrid joining Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Munich, Mexico City and three games in London.