It’s no secret that the NFL hopes to expand its influence in Europe. American football has a regular mini-season in London, with three games played at Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across the autumn. The London Games represent massive business for the NFL, and they look set to continue as a permanent fixture in the NFL calendar. In Germany, there are regular games, too.
But what about Spain? It’s a different kettle of fish, of course. Yet, the NFL will be coming to town in 2025. A game will be played in Madrid during the 2025 season. The teams have yet to be decided, and we do not know the exact date, but we do know that the Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid, is the chosen venue.
Fans are focusing on the NFL Playoffs right now.
Seeing how this goes down with the Spanish fans will be interesting. The NFL has been careful in selecting host cities and nations, working through its international expansion strategy. Right now, most fans are glued to the action in the 2024 season Playoffs, watching as their favorite teams navigate the postseason, with the likes of the Lions and Chiefs leading the way in the Super Bowl odds. But once Super Bowl LIX is done and dusted, the focus will be on next season, and we will soon get an announcement on which teams will go to Madrid.
In a sense, it does not matter which teams roll into the Spanish capital. Ask anyone who has been to the London Games, and they will tell you that the spectacle matters. The Bernabeu will be a fitting venue for a sport that likes to put on a show. Yet, for the NFL and Spanish fans of American football, the interest will be on the legacy, not the game itself.
We can draw some parallels with what has occurred in the UK. Like the UK, soccer comes first in terms of market share. The NFL has not made a dent in that share, despite the London Games being held there every year since 2007. It’s not just the games, of course, as it also takes commitment from television broadcasters to grow a sport’s influence.
Sky Sports has been building its UK NFL coverage for well over a decade, and it has grown massively in scope. In Spain, the games are available through Movistar Plus and DAZN. Both offer pretty comprehensive coverage.
Spain looks like a fertile market for American football.
The NFL will have to be patient in Spain, but it’s not going into a country where that is a vacuum for the sport. Estimates vary (and we would be wary about the veracity of some statistics), but we have seen some polls that say around 3.5 million people are living in Spain who describe themselves as NFL fans.
Furthermore, the size of the Spanish market in financial terms is expected to grow by around 4% per year over the next five years until 2029. Yet, it’s worth noting that this will still only be ‘worth’ $6.9 million per annum. When you compare it to soccer, it is still very niche.
Nonetheless, as we mentioned, the NFL will have done its homework and be well aware that the Spanish market offers opportunities. It is a sports-mad country and will clearly welcome the NFL roadshow coming to town later this year. Tickets will probably be at a premium for the game in Madrid (it’s not a cheap day out, unfortunately), yet if it is a success – as it most likely will be – you can expect the games to come to sunny Spain with more regularity.
