Atlanta Falcons Learn Their International Destination for 2026

The Atlanta Falcons are heading back across the Atlantic for their 2026 international game, and the NFL officially revealed that they will be playing in Madrid, Spain, at the iconic Bernabéu Stadium (home to Real Madrid C.F.). Their opponent is not officially known, but it appears that it will be the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Falcons will play the role of the home team. 

The 2026 season will mark just the second time in league history that the NFL will play a regular season in Spain, with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders in November 2025. 

This will be the fifth regular-season game that the Falcons will have played overseas, with the most recent coming in 2025 in Germany against the Indianapolis Colts. Atlanta lost that game in overtime after it ceded a fourth-quarter lead. It marked the third game that the Falcons have lost abroad (1-3 all-time). Other than the matchup in Germany, the Falcons have played three times in London (23-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023, 27-20 versus the New York Jets, 22-21 loss to the Detroit Lions). 

This season will mark just the third time they will be the ‘home’ team for this game (2021, 2014).

According to the NFL, 62 regular season games have been played around the world, with London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City, and Toronto having hosted games to date.

The other international games in 2026 are as follows: 

• The Jacksonville Jaguars have two home games in London, one at Wembley Stadium and another at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 
• The Washington Commanders will play a home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
• The Los Angeles Rams will play a home game versus the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. This will be the first time in NFL history that a game will be played in Australia. 
• The Detroit Lions will play a home game at FC Bayern Munich Arena in Munich, Germany. 
• The Dallas Cowboys will play a home game at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
• The San Francisco 49ers will play a home game at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City, Mexico.
• The New Orleans Saints are reportedly playing a home game against the Cleveland Browns in Paris, France, at the Stade de France.