The Buffalo Bills will be breathing a sigh of relief after it was confirmed that the Atlanta Falcons will be playing a regular-season NFL game at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain.
The league has now announced the host team for all nine international games as part of the 2026 season. Opponents have not been named for eight of the games, but none of the teams are scheduled to host the Bills next season, so Buffalo's front office, players and fans know they will not have to deal with the disruption of a long international trip.
Here are the international games on tap for this fall:
- The Jacksonville Jaguars will host two games in London.
- The Washington Commanders will also host a game in London.
- As confirmed Tuesday, the Falcons will host a game in Madrid, the second straight season the NFL comes to Real Madrid's stadium.
- The Los Angeles Rams will host the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 in the first NFL game in Melbourne, Australia.
- The 49ers will also host an international game in Mexico City.
- The Detroit Lions will host the league's next game in Germany, to be held in Munich.
- The New Orleans Saints will host a game in Paris.
- Finally, the Dallas Cowboys have been selected for the next South American game to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
While the Bills avoided an international trip this time around, there is a high probability of them of playing an international game in coming seasons, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's objective remains to eventually have 16 international games per season, with each team playing in one.
The Bills' two prior games in the NFL's international series have both come against the Jaguars in London. They lost both times — 34-31 at Wembley Stadium in 2015 and 25-20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2023.
This will be Madrid's second NFL game, after the Dolphins and Commanders played each other there in the 2025 season. In an odd coincidence, the Falcons' home field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will host two Spain matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Atlanta is coming off an 8-9 season that led to the firing of head coach Raheem Morris and the hiring of Kevin Stefanski, who had been dismissed by the Cleveland Browns. The Falcons are a team in transition, with another recent change the decision to part ways with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
As the Falcons determine whether Michael Penix Jr. is the future at QB or if they need to seek answers through the draft or free agency, Stefanski is likely to build the offense around star running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts.