Tag: Madrid

Saints could play another international game in the near future

The Saints could be set to play another international game in the near future. One of their opponents is hosting a game in Spain, and France looms large in 2026:

The New Orleans Saints could be headed overseas sooner rather than later.

The Saints are set to play the Miami Dolphins in 2025 — the same team who announced in January that they were set to host a game in Madrid in the upcoming season.

It marks the first time an NFL game will be played in Spain as the league continues to bring contests around the world. The venue the action will take place in is the 78,000-seat Bernabeu Stadium.

The opponent has not yet been revealed, but Miami’s list of visitors for 2025 does include the Saints, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and the Washington Commanders.

If the opponent is indeed the Saints, it will not be the first time the two teams have faced each other outside of the United States. The Saints and the Dolphins squared off against each other in London, England, back in 2017. New Orleans won a 20-0 shutout over Miami in that game.

And it has been even longer since the Saints have played the Dolphins in Miami, with that game taking place over a decade and a half ago when Saints came out on top, 46-34 on Oct. 25, 2009.

The Saints last traveled abroad to play a game against the Vikings in London on Oct. 2, 2022, losing 28-25 in a close one to Minnesota.

Looking ahead, the Saints themselves could end up hosting their next international game in Paris, France as soon as 2025, though it seems more likely that would occur in 2026. The news was originally reported by Fletcher Mackel of WDSU back in mid-August.

New Orleans holds exclusive marketing rights with the country, and it’s fitting given the state of Louisiana’s strong connections to France and cultural connections that have always been very evident in the state.

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Will the Commanders play in Spain in 2025?

Could the Commanders play in Madrid next season?

Could the Washington Commanders play in the first NFL game in Madrid, Spain, next season?

On Friday, the Dolphins announced they would be the official home team for the league’s first game in Madrid.

So, how does this involve the Washington Commanders? The Commanders are one of nine teams on Miami’s home schedule next season. The Bills, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Saints, Buccaneers, Chargers and Commanders are all possibilities to make the trip to Spain in 2025.

The NFL generally doesn’t schedule division opponents for international games, which would seemingly exclude the Bills, Jets, and Patriots. The league revealed last year that Madrid would host a game in 2025.

“We are thrilled to play the NFL’s inaugural game in Spain, a country of rich history,” Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel said in a statement. “There is a hunger for football in this market, and we are proud to join with the NFL in growing the game internationally while engaging with old and new fans alike. With the unique synergy between Miami and Madrid, we believe this is only the beginning for us in this incredible region and we look forward to bringing the excitement and community of Dolphins football to Spain in 2025 and beyond.”

Miami is the fifth NFL team to be designated as a home team for international games next season. The Jaguars, Jets, and Browns will all play in London, while the Colts are the designated home team for a game in Germany. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said he hoped to play eight international games in 2025.

Dolphins announce 2025 home game will be played in Madrid

The Dolphins’ will host the NFL’s first ever game at Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid.

The Miami Dolphins officially announced Friday morning that they will host the NFL’s first ever game in Madrid, Spain.

In addition to their announcement, the Dolphins also got a welcome from Spanish soccer club, Real Madrid, with a video that features an appearance from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise as the Dolphins already told season ticket holders in October that one of their 2025 home games would be played outside of the United States. Miami is one of two teams, along with the Chicago Bears, with marketing rights in Spain, so it made sense that the Dolphins could be host of the league’s debut game in Madrid.

“We are thrilled to play the NFL’s inaugural game in Spain, a country of rich history,” Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel said in a statement. “There is a hunger for football in this market, and we are proud to join with the NFL in growing the game internationally while engaging with old and new fans alike. With the unique synergy between Miami and Madrid, we believe this is only the beginning for us in this incredible region and we look forward to bringing the excitement and community of Dolphins football to Spain in 2025 and beyond.”

Neither the date nor the opponent in the Dolphins’ game at Bernabéu Stadium have been announced. Miami will play home games against the Bills, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Chargers, Saints, Buccaneers, and Commanders next season.

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Will Raiders play international game in London in 2025?

The NFL released the home teams for the three London games. Could the Raiders be among those headed to the UK in 2025?

We are a few months away from the full 2025 NFL schedule release. But well in advance of that, the NFL has announced the home teams for the London games.

Three teams will play ‘host’ in London next season. Those teams are the Browns, Jaguars, and Jets.

The question is if the Raiders could be the opponent in any of those games. And the answer is…

No.

The Jaguars and Browns are among the Raiders 2025 opponents, but both of those matchups are Raiders home games, which means you can eliminate London from the list of possible locations for Raiders games this season.

After playing three times in London in 2014, 2018, and 2019, the Raiders have not left the country for a game since relocating to Vegas, so they’re due to go overseas again.

There are still games that will be played in other countries next season, so there is still a chance the Raiders could play internationally.

The two other countries announced for NFL games are Berlin Germany and Madrid Spain. The home teams have not yet been announced for those cities.

It’s worth noting that the Raiders have more home games this season than away games, which would seem to raise the likelihood that if one of their games was to be moved internationally, it would be a home game. But it’s not an absolute.

Dolphins to host international game in 2025, likely in Madrid

The Dolphins will play one of their nine home games in 2025 outside of the United States.

One of the Miami Dolphins’ nine home games next season will be played outside of the United States, the team informed season ticket holders Friday.

What team the Dolphins will play, when the game will happen, and what country it’ll be played in will be announced at a later date. There are only a handful of possibilities, though.

The likeliest scenario is that the game will happen in Madrid, Spain. In February, the NFL announced that Madrid will host its first ever regular season game at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid C.F.

The Dolphins are one of two teams, along with the Chicago Bears, that have exclusive marketing rights in Spain.

In 2025, the Dolphins will face their usual slate of divisional opponents in three of their nine home games. They’ll also host games against the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The last two games will be against AFC West and NFC East opponents, dependent on the final standings of the 2024 season.

The Dolphins have played five regular season games overseas in London, most recently in 2021 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They also played a 2023 game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany.

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Notre Dame wins exhibition over Madrid All-Stars on trip to Spain

Been a nice trip for the Irish so far.

It’s a norm for college basketball teams to get together during the summer to prepare for the upcoming season. A few lucky ones get to take a trip to an exciting place. This year, Notre Dame was one of them. The destination was Spain.

One stop in the country was Madrid. While the team took in the sights, it also was there to play basketball. This it did against the Madrid All-Stars, and it turned out be a favorable result for the Irish:

The win was the culmination of a great time in the city, and the Irish aren’t finished in Spain yet:

Only time will tell if the Irish make any significant strides from a rebuilding 2023-24 season, but we can see now that they at least have a better understanding of each other. After all, many players have been together for a year now, so at least there are those relationships. Let’s hope that leads to more winning in 2024-25.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

F1 announces new Madrid race to replace Spanish Grand Prix in 2026

The new street circuit will enter the Formula 1 calendar from 2026 onward.

Formula 1 has yet another new race heading to the calendar.

F1 announced Tuesday that the sport will race in Madrid, Spain from 2026 to 2035. The race is set to hold the Spanish Grand Prix name from then on, and F1 is still negotiating with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a potential spot on the calendar for 2026 onward.

The track is set to be a hybrid of a street circuit and a traditional circuit, with 20 turns and an estimated lap time of 1:32.40. The circuit is located five minutes away from the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez airport and organizers aim to make it one of the most accessible F1 races, with public transportation able to accommodate 90% of fans per Formula 1’s release.

The addition is a recent trend for F1, as the sport seems to be more inclined to race at street circuits than actual tracks. The calendar has grown to 24 races, and of those 24 races in 2024, 6 (25%) are street tracks. Madrid will be the latest addition to that group, showcasing a pivot from the sport in its new additions to the calendar.

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F1 to race in Madrid from 2026

Formula 1 has announced the Spanish Grand Prix will move to Madrid from 2026, taking place on a semi-permanent track within the Spanish capital. Barcelona has been home to the race since 1991, and currently has a contract through 2026 after …

Formula 1 has announced the Spanish Grand Prix will move to Madrid from 2026, taking place on a semi-permanent track within the Spanish capital.

Barcelona has been home to the race since 1991, and currently has a contract through 2026 after committing to track upgrades at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, that deal now appears uncertain as discussions about its future continue following confirmation the Spanish GP will move to Madrid, returning to the region for the first time since 1981 when the grand prix used to be held at Jarama.

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The new race will be held around the IFEMA exhibition and events venue to the northeast of the city center, with the track stretching to 5.47km and promised to be a mix of both street and non-street sections. The yet-to-be finalized layout will incorporate 20 turns with a projected qualifying lap of 1m32s.

Race organizers are targeting an initial capacity of 110,000 spectators per day, rising to 140,000 during the ten-year contract to become one of the larger venues on the F1 calendar. F1 predicts that 90% of fans will be able to reach the circuit via public transport due to the connections with rail and metro lines and its close proximity to the city’s main airport.

“Madrid is an incredible city with amazing sporting and cultural heritage, and today’s announcement begins an exciting new chapter for F1 in Spain,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said.

“I would like to thank the team at IFEMA MADRID, the Regional Government of Madrid and the city’s Mayor for putting together a fantastic proposal that epitomizes Formula 1’s vision to create a multi-day spectacle of sport and entertainment that maximizes values for fans, whilst embracing innovation and sustainability.”

The president of the region of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, says the arrival of the race will have a major economic impact.

“It is with great satisfaction that we announce Formula 1 is coming to the Community of Madrid, to a region and a capital that inspires openness and confidence within and beyond our borders,” Díaz Ayuso said. “We are the main engine of Spain’s prosperity and progress. This event, which we expect to be followed on a global scale by 70 million people, will represent an increase of more than 450 million euros in Madrid’s GDP per year and the creation of 8,200 jobs.

“The Community of Madrid is a region with a great international projection, open, plural and competitive, and F1 will contribute to further consolidate the Madrid brand among the best in the world.”

Should Barcelona still host a race in 2026 it will not be the first time Spain has held two grands prix in the same year, as Valencia was also part of the calendar at the height of Fernando Alonso’s popularity from 2008 until 2012.

Cameron Jordan says brutal Cleveland snow game led to monthslong Spain vacation

Cameron Jordan says a Cleveland snow game led to his vacation to Spain, where he’s biked, wined, dined, and had a run-in with a ‘Tampa Bay bozo’ at a Michelin-starred restaurant

The New Orleans Saints might have a tough time prying Cameron Jordan out of the Spanish countryside. Their defensive captain was so shaken by the first snow game of his football career that he and his wife Nikki packed up their kids and took the family to Spain for a month. Then two.

Playing in Antarctic conditions was a thoroughly miserable experience, but at least the Saints left with a win over the Cleveland Browns. Jordan told WWL Radio’s Jeff Nowak that spending his Christmas Eve in the brutal wind and snow has made Cleveland a place he’ll never return.

“And I was looking at the fans (huddling for warmth in the stands), I was like, much respect. Because there is no amount of money that could ever make me play for this team,” Jordan said. “Like, you could be like Cam, I have $58 million a year for you, an unprecedented amount, you’ve never been paid this much for 1 year of football. And I’d be like, thank you very much. If there’s 50 on the table here, there’s got to be 40 on the table somewhere in a warmer climate. Thank you, I’ll be leaving.”

That below-freezing afternoon sent Jordan looking for somewhere warm. After visiting Rio De Janeiro for Carnival celebrations, the family traveled to Spain. They haven’t been stateside since February, though Jordan says they’ll be home in time for the Saints offseason program to begin in earnest.

In the meantime, they’ve made stops in Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Seville. The Jordans have gone cycling in the Spanish countryside, toured cultural heritage sites, attended pro soccer games, and yucked it up with other tourists (Jordan had to laugh off an encounter with one “Tampa Bay bozo” at Etxebarri, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bilbao).

Here’s some of the highlights Jordan has shared from their adventures abroad on social media:

Los partidos en Europa que nunca debieron ser

La pandemia del coronavirus ha afectado de manera aún incuantificable al mundo y ya se ha cobrado la vida de más de 352 mil personas en todos los países afectados según reportes de la OMS. Si bien no se puede volver el tiempo atrás, hubieron muchos …

La pandemia del coronavirus ha afectado de manera aún incuantificable al mundo y ya se ha cobrado la vida de más de 352 mil personas en todos los países afectados según reportes de la OMS.

Si bien no se puede volver el tiempo atrás, hubieron muchos indicativos que pudieron haber permitido una propagación menos rápida del virus, sobre todo en Europa pues el mes de marzo fue clave para la evolución de la pandemia y aún no se tenían las medidas de prevención adecuadas.

La cronología del COVID-19 en Europa

Enero, llega a Europa

Sin que aún se hiciera oficial durante todo el mes de enero el virus empezó a circular por Europa y el 20 de enero se detectó al paciente cero en Inglaterra.

Febrero, explota en Italia y España

El mes clave para la evolución de la pandemia en Europa fue febrero pues se dieron los pacientes cero en Italia y Madrid.

Si bien en la región de Lombardia el paciente cero fue detectado el 21 de febrero, se dice que el 19 de febrero durante el partido de Champions League entre Atalanta y Valencia jugado en San Siro, al menos 45 mil bergamascos se contagiaron en Milán.

Foto vía @LigadeCampeones

El 25 de febrero fue el día del paciente cero en Madrid.

Marzo, la pandemia imparable

Marzo comenzó con una pandemia invisible moviéndose rápidamente por Europa y aún sin las medidas de precaución establecidas. El 11 de marzo otro partido clave en el desarrollo de la pandemia se jugó, el Atlético de Madrid visitó al Liverpool y con ellos tres mil hinchas colchoneros hicieron el viaje y estuvieron presentes en Ainfield.

Foto vía @AtleticoPlay

Apenas dos semanas después el Liverpool anunció el contagio de 10 miembros de su plantilla.

Mayo, lloramos las muertes

Al 27 de mayo las cifras de muertos son alarmantes, en el Reino Unido rebasan las 37 mil, en España las 27 mil y en Italia las 33 mil y ambos partidos de Champions League solo ayudaron a propagar más rápido la pandemia en una pésima decisión directiva que no midió el riesgo de jugar con público aquellos duelos con la emergencia en la puerta de tu casa.

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