The city of Madrid looks in good shape to host an American football match next year, with higher ups on both sides of negotiations confirming it is a real possibility.
It has been rumoured in recent months that Madrid, at either the Santiago Bernabeu or the Metropolitano, could host an NFL game as part of the international series. London has been hosting games for a number of years at Wembley and more recently the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Mexico has also hosted NFL games recently, while last year saw the first game on mainland European soil, with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Ahead of next year, London is likely to host more games next season, but NFL Executive Vice-President Peter O’Reilly has confirmed that Mexico will not host a game in 2024, augmenting Spain’s chances of doing so.
“We are spending time in those markets, building relationships and looking at the stadiums there. Brazil and Spain are two strong markets and two important markets,” O’Reilly said as carried by MD.
Meanwhile Deputy Mayor of Madrid Inmaculada Sanz has confirmed to Marca that the interest is real.
“I think it is good news for Madrid that the NFL has shown interest in our city for an international event as important as an NFL game.”
“This continues to demonstrate that Madrid is a city that is in fashion around the world, that there are many promoters who approach us to tell us that they are interested in hosting this type of things in Madrid.”
Both the renovated Bernabeu and Metropolitano will be vying to host the game, if it does go ahead. New facilities, part of the business model at both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid is to continue hosting events at their stadiums make things as profitable as possible.
