02/02/26 10:42:00
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02/02 10:40 CST NFL to play first regular-season game in France with Saints in
2026
NFL to play first regular-season game in France with Saints in 2026
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- The NFL will play its first regular-season game ever in
France next season with the New Orleans Saints set to travel to Paris later
this year.
The league on Monday announced the plans to play a game at the Stade de France
next season in addition to a multiyear deal to keep playing regular-season
games at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
The NFL has already announced its first game in Australia next season with the
Los Angeles Rams set to host that game, as well as games in Rio de Janeiro,
Munich, and three in London. The league also could return to Mexico City next
season.
The additions of Australia and France will mean NFL games will have been played
in nine countries outside of the United States after next season.
The NFL says it has played 62 regular-season games outside the U.S. so far,
with London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, Sao Paulo, Mexico City
and Toronto as hosts.
The Saints will play an opponent to be determined after the schedule is
finalized later this year. The Saints have international marketing rights in
France as part of the NFL's Global Markets Program.
"Bringing a regular season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in
the continued expansion of the league's global footprint," Commissioner Roger
Goodell said in a statement. "Paris is one of the world's greatest sporting and
cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite
fans on the biggest stages. Playing our first?ever regular season game at the
impressive Stade de France, together with the New Orleans Saints, underlines
our continued global growth ambitions and we look forward to bringing the NFL
to our passionate fans in France."
Saints owner Gayle Benson said she is excited to play in France, citing the
"strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France."
The Stade de France was built in 1998 when the country hosted the World Cup. It
was also used for the 2024 Olympics and has hosted several major international
sporting events.
The NFL says it has more than 14 million fans in France and launched a flag
football program there in 2023 that already reaches more than 8,000 boys and
girls.
The NFL did not announce any of the teams for the game in Spain. The Miami
Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears currently have marketing rights
in Spain as part of the league's Global Markets Program.
The first NFL regular-season game in Spain was played at the Bernabeu last
November as the Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime
before a crowd of 78,610 fans.
NFL Spain country manager Rafa De Los Santos said the multiyear agreement to
playing games in Madrid "underlines our commitment to the market and enables us
to continue to engage fans year-round and invest long-term in initiatives like
NFL Flag and youth participation."
The NFL said Spain is "an important market globally," with 11 million fans. It
said it will also focus on developing the league's flag football initiatives
across the country.
After the first game in Madrid last year, there had also been talks of the
league also trying to organize a game in Barcelona at some point.
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AP Sports Writer Talez Azzoni in Madrid, contributed to this report
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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