Feb 03, 2026
3 min read
In 2026, the NFL will further expand its international footprint.
NFL international games: League announces first game in France, returning to Spain in 2026
The NFL is moving to France.The league announced Monday that it will play a regular season game in Paris, France for the first time.
The New Orleans Saints will compete, but the league has not announced their opponent.
The NFL will play its first regular season game in 2026 in Paris, France.
The historic celebration in France will take place at the Stade de France, the country's national stadium, with the New Orleans Saints among the participating teams.— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 2, 2026
The match will take place at the Stade de France, which also hosts UEFA, FIFA and rugby matches.
In addition, the NFL also announced that it will return to Spain in 2026.The Miami Dolphins and Washington Cardinals will play the first NFL game in Spain in 2025.
The league announced a multi-year partnership with the country, meaning the league will likely play more matches in Spain over the next two years.
NFL announces return to Spain in 2026 as part of multi-year partnership with Madrid.pic.twitter.com/x2I5ez5IyP
— Mike Surface (@mikegarfolo) February 2
The 2026 game will be held at the Bernabeu, where the Commanders and Dolphins played this season. The November game went to overtime and the Dolphins defeated the Commanders 16-13. The NFL has not announced which teams will play in the 2026 game against Spain.
According to the announcements, the NFL will play eight international games in the 2026 season.The league will play one match in Australia, one in Brazil, one in Germany, three in the United Kingdom, one in France and one in Spain.The NFL has confirmed that the Los Angeles Rams are one of the teams that will play in Australia and the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams that will play in London.The league also announced that the Saints will be one of the teams that will play in Paris.However, the NFL has not announced any additional teams for next season's international games.The NFL also has not announced dates or times for the 2026 international games.
The league first began international play in 2007 when the Dolphins faced the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in London.Since then, the league has played at least one international game every season, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no international games in 2020.
The NFL has made efforts to expand the countries in which it hosts games, with Brazil, Ireland and Spain added to the mix starting in 2024. In 2026, the league will add France to its ever-growing list.
