What Madrid Is Paying to Bring Back the NFL

Madrid City Hall authorized nearly €3.95 million, including tax, to sponsor NFL regular-season games in 2026 and 2027. The regional government made a separate €1.5 million sponsorship deal for the 2026 game, which brought the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons to the Santiago Bernabéu on Nov. 8.

Both deals name NFL International Licensing Inc. as the recipient. The money comes from different governments and covers different periods. The city award spans two editions. The regional contract covers one.

What each government committed

Madrid’s city governing board authorized the two-game spending on Oct. 1. Procurement records for file 511/2026/21955 show an Oct. 27 award of €3,263,020 before tax and €3,948,254.20 with tax. One offer was received. The board’s agreement calls the process a negotiated procedure without prior advertising. It gives Nov. 8 for the 2026 game and leaves the 2027 date open.

The Community of Madrid announced its contribution in May. Its own procurement record lists a €1,239,669.42 award before tax, or €1.5 million including tax. The regional government said it was buying a chance to promote Madrid as a tourism and entertainment destination. The NFL says its agreement with the region brings regular-season games to Madrid in 2026 and 2027.

Madrid used two public sponsorships for its first NFL game as well. Its city government authorized €1.815 million including tax for the 2025 game. The regional contract closed at €1.5 million including tax, according to the region’s settlement record. Those two figures cover the same edition. The new city total includes an additional year, so it needs a year-by-year breakdown to make a like-for-like comparison.

What the €1.5 million buys

The region’s technical specifications spell out the advertising. Madrid’s name goes into the event’s NFL shield for promotional material and the international broadcast. The NFL is to publish four Instagram posts or reels on its main account and four on Mundo NFL featuring regional attractions. The plan also calls for a tourism video of at least 30 seconds on the Bernabéu’s 360-degree screen, supplied jointly by the city and region.

During live television coverage, the specifications call for footage of at least two landmarks, with equivalent social media promotion if the broadcast segment cannot be delivered. The agreement also calls for 12 hospitality tickets and 48 general-admission tickets for the regional government. The NFL is required to provide a report on what it delivered, the advertising exposure and the economic impact. The specifications set those obligations in advance. The report is the record that can show what was delivered.

What the €70 million estimate measures

Madrid City Hall put the 2025 game and related events at more than €70 million in estimated local economic impact. Its release cited an announced crowd of 78,610 for Miami against Washington, more than 42,000 international tourists according to a local hospitality association and up to €21.2 million in restaurant spending.

Those figures describe activity in the city. The release does not provide a full account of how much spending was additional, how much tax revenue the event produced or how much the city spent on staffing and services. The 2026 game-day plan specifies municipal police and traffic officers, road closures and bus diversions. The sponsorship awards do not itemize what those services cost.

The regional contract calls for a post-event report. That document will give Madrid a way to check the advertising it received. Measuring the public return also requires the cost of providing city services and an estimate of how much visitor spending the city would have received without the game.