Cincinnati Bengals To Play International Game for First Time in Joe Burrow Era

It's the first of back-to-back international games as Bengals also will play one in 2027

The Wembley Stadium arch is seen in the background as fans file into the outer concourse ahead of a Week 8 NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Wembley Stadium Oct 26 | Kareem Elgazzar, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Turns out the Madrid mayor was right after all, just a year premature.

The Cincinnati Bengals are headed to Spain.

The Bengals will be the road team for a Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.

“I’m open to it,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said when asked about the possibility of playing internationally a few hours before the league made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

“Especially this year since it would be a road game for us,” Taylor added. “I’m all for giving up a hostile atmosphere here in the states and going abroad.”

Last spring there was a report that Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida leaked that the Bengals would be playing the inaugural Spain game. That turned out to be incorrect, as that game featured the Dolphins and the Commanders.

One year later, the Bengals officially headed to Martinez-Almeida's backyard.

“It’s a great opportunity to promote the game internationally,” Taylor said. “We have a tremendous team with a lot of high-end talent. To take center stage in the world would be exciting for everybody. To promote the Bengals’ brand internationally, I think, is awesome.

“I think that’s something that would be fun to do. If they elect to put us out there this year, I’m all for it, and it would be a blast.”

The Bengals already are locked into a 2027 international game as the home team, so today’s announcement means they will be headed out of the country in back-to-back seasons for the first time.

Cincinnati tied Washington 27-27 in London in 2016 and lost to the Rams 24-10 in London in Taylor’s first season in 2019.

The 2026 NFL schedule will feature a record nine international games.

In addition to Bengals vs. Falcons in Spain, the others already announced are:

San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia in Week 1.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in Week 3.

The other matchups will be announced Wednesday morning on NFL Network.

The cities and host teams already are known.

The 49ers will be the home team for a game in Mexico City.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be the home team for two of the league’s three games in London, while the Commanders will play host in the other.

The New Orleans Saints will be the home team for the first ever NFL game in France (Paris).

The Detroit Lions will be the home team in Munich, Germany.

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