The Cincinnati Bengals have officially announced that they’ll play the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain, as part of the NFL’s 2026 International Games.
The game will take place on Sunday, November 8, at Bernabéu Stadium and will air on NFL Network. Kickoff is set for 9:30 AM ET. Ticket information will be announced on the NFL’s official website at a later date.
“We are excited to take the Bengals abroad again and build upon the incredible support of our global fanbase and help the league continue to grow the game of football across the world,” said Bengals Director of Strategy and Engagement Elizabeth Blackburn in a press release. “This Madrid game is a special opportunity to showcase the passion, energy, and community that define the Bengals’ fandom worldwide.”
Joe Burrow has been pushing for an international game for several years now, and the Bengals QB has finally gotten his wish to play abroad. He hopes to help the Bengals make a global impact similar to that of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 90s.
“The game has a lot of room to grow. Just like basketball did in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Burrow told Bengals.com. “The Bulls kind of spearheaded that. Made it global, and hopefully the Bengals can do the same thing over the next couple of years for the NFL.”
Head coach Zac Taylor offered a sentiment about enhancing the Bengals brand globally.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity to grow the game internationally. That’s an important part of what we do,” Taylor said. “I think it’s awesome the brand of the Bengals gets extended internationally. We’ve got a lot of great players on the team that the world will get to watch on center stage.”
This will be the Bengals’ third international game ever after venturing to London in the 2016 and 2019 seasons, going 0-1-1 in said games.
Time to get that first international W.
