NFL reveals date and opponent for Miami Dolphins' historic game in Madrid, Spain

The first-ever NFL game will take place in Madrid, Spain during the 2025 season, and we've known that the Miami Dolphins have been considered the "home" team by the league since January.  

Now, we know when that matchup will take place, and who the Dolphins will be facing.  

The Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders will face off on November 16 in Madrid, Spain and Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. 

The matchup was announced Tuesday morning on Good Morning Football, and the league confirmed the strongest rumor that had been going around regarding the Dolphins' possible opponent.  The Cincinnati Bengals had also allegedly been potentially in play as an opponent, but the league went with the matchup between two high-flying offenses. 

The Commanders had a turnaround season to remember in 2024, going from the #2 draft pick, which they turned into LSU QB Jayden Daniels, and turned that into a trip to the NFC Championship Game after dispatching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and top seed Detroit Lions on the road. 

That run started with a matchup against the Dolphins back in August after the team shared joint practices and faced off in the preseason in a 13-6 Miami win.  Daniels showed poise, going 10/12 for 78 yards with 13 rushing yards added in the first quarter of action. 

Now, the teams will share the field again, but under a far brighter light and with the expectations ratcheted up for both teams. The Commanders are surely going to be one of the preseason favorites to challenge the Eagles for NFC supremacy, with Daniels likely a player to watch for MVP honors. 

Meanwhile, the Dolphins - in a crucial year four for Mike McDaniel - have to figure out how to get their passing game untracked after getting bottled up in 2024, all while trying to figure out how to field a competent secondary, as they still lack two starting cornerbacks. At this point, the unit doesn't appear to match up well with any decent passing attack, much less one of the best passing attacks in the NFC in the Commanders.  

We'll find out in the coming months if the Dolphins can make moves to help them be able to slow down one of the biggest surprises in the NFL from 2024 in front of a lot of eyeballs around the world.