Real Madrid’s $1.5 billion Santiago Bernabeu stadium set to host NFL games in 2025

The Santiago Bernabeu may feature NFL games in the near future.

Real Madrid’s $1.5 billion Santiago Bernabeu stadium set to host NFL games in 2025

The Santiago Bernabeu & the NFL are set to strike off a partnership (Via X/@MySportsUpdate & BBC)

The Santiago Bernabeu has been the home ground of the Los Blancos since it was built in 1947. The newly renovated Bernabeu is a spectacle in itself, and it may not just be football matches that happen in the stadium. As per reports, the NFL (National Football League) is considering the possibility of hosting a regular season game on Real Madrid‘s home turf.

The stadium was renovated using a mammoth fee of over €355 million from 2022 to 2023 and can now host football, tennis, and basketball matches as well as concerts. The initiative to host NFL games comes as part of the league’s intention to expand internationally and provide exposure to the competition. Florentino Perez and ‘Legends’ (A Sports event sourcing organization) will look to finalize a deal with the NFL shortly.

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As it stands, the NFL are all set to play 3 games in the U.K. and another two in Frankfurt. Tottenham Hotspur have already announced their partnership with the NFL in the past. The Premier League club boasts the “first purpose-built NFL stadium outside the U.S.” As per sources, an NFL game in Madrid is “all but locked in for 2024“. Atletico Madrid‘s home ground Metropolitano Stadium is also under consideration by the NFL.

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Real Madrid’s potential opponents in the Champions League Round of 16

The Los Blancos earned qualification from the group stages in style. Carlo Ancelotti and his men topped Group C with a perfect record. 6 wins in 6 for Real mean that they clinched the impressive record only for the third time in their history. A nail-biting encounter with Union Berlin saw the 14-time champions keep their unbeaten run in the group stages intact.

Real Madrid & Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid could potentially face PSG in the RO16 (Via X/@RMAFC & goal)

The Champions League group stages have come to a close as the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain all secured qualification. A first-place finish ensures that Real will successfully avoid ‘big teams’ like Bayern Munich and Manchester City early on. However, the club could potentially face any of Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Lazio, RB Leipzig, Porto FC, PSV Eindhoven or Copenhagen.

The RO16 draw is scheduled for 18th December at noon CET. Madrid will look to charge for a historic 15th Champions League title as Carlo Ancelotti named Manchester City as the only team who could potentially stand in between them and their title hopes. Madrid were knocked out by eventual champions Manchester in the semi-final, which they ended up losing 5-1 on aggregate.

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