NFL to play first game in Madrid, Spain as part of international expansion efforts

The NFL's global footprint is growing.

The league will expand its International Series to include Madrid, Spain. The European city will host a regular-season game at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in 2025 in partnership with the La Liga soccer club.

Peter O’Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president of Club Business, League Events & International, met with reporters ahead of Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas and called Madrid a "very important market."

"Clearly, it’s a global hub. A clearly important market that resonates beyond its borders," he said. "We know the reach that Real Madrid has, that echoes and ripples around the world. I think those things complement each other … we can bring our collective fan bases together."

Legendary Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, was also on hand as an ambassador for the expansion.

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Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on what the game means to the league. He said the expansion highlights "the accelerated ambitions to take our game to more fans around the world."

The news comes after the NFL said it will play is first game in Brazil — also its first game in South America — this fall. The Philadelphia Eagles will be the home team at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo for the season opener.

The league also plays in England, Germany and Mexico.

This past season, there were five games in the International Series. There were two games for the first time in Frankfurt, Germany and three in London, England. The year before, there was one game in Mexico City.

With the addition of Brazil and Spain, the league has a footprint in five countries outside of the United States.

Reporter Chris Bumbaca contributed to this report.