Real Madrid will make history next year by being the first team in Spain to host a regular season NFL game. The game will take place in their renovated Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and the announcement was made during Super Bowl week. This does not shut down the door for other clubs in Spain like FC Barcelona.
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The big announcement with the NFL left Real Madrid President Florentino Perez proud of the partnership. They also recently announced a partnership with HP to sponsor the jersey sleeves. Real Madrid’s renovated Bernabeu includes a fully retractable pitch that can be stored beneath the stadium with a button. The storage space provides ventilation, air conditioning, irrigation systems, LED lighting, control cameras, and ultraviolet light therapy to maintain the pitch.
Perez goes on to speak highly of Real Madrid's newly renovated stadium. He wants the club's stadium to be one of the best in the world. It has impressed the NFL so much that the American Football League decided to have a game in the stadium. Perez says, "The Santiago Bernabeú is going to be fundamental. It is one of the biggest challenges in our history. It will mark our destiny, and it will be a reference. It will be the reference for football, but also of all sports and concert events. It will mark a milestone in our history. It will be a symbol. It is part of our lives. There is very little left to see the transformation fulfilled. It will be a worldwide reference. It's going to be a resource generator for our club.”
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NFL does not shut down possibilities of working with FC Barcelona in the future but asks for them to meet requirement
NFL Executive Vice President Peter O'Reilly discussed a possible collaboration with Spain's other football giant, FC Barcelona. While Barca will have the new Camp Nou ready in 2026, the NFL is not looking to have an NFL game for Barca anytime soon. O'Reilly said, "Having a world-class stadium is an important factor in having an NFL game... Will be important if there are talks with Barcelona in the future for NFL matches."
