Joe Burrow Reacts to Bengals International Matchup vs Falcons in Madrid, Spain

For the first time in his soon-to-be seven-year NFL career, Joe Burrow will travel internationally — and it's not for Fashion Week in Paris.

The NFL announced Tuesday that the Cincinnati Bengals are set to face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, at the legendary Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. It's the league's second-ever regular-season game in Spain and the Bengals' first international appearance in seven years.

For Burrow, the trip is more than just a 3,000-mile business trip. He's approaching it as an opportunity to contribute to the rapids' global expansion — and to follow in the footsteps of the sports icons who came before him.

Burrow is Taking a Unique Approach

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow speaks at a press conference at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Nov. 25, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Burrow, who has clearly become one of the league's most dominant players and most recognizable faces, is viewing the international trip through a historical lens. He thinks that the rapid globalization of football mirrors the NBA's explosion of popularity in the late 20th century.

"The game has a lot of room to grow. Just like basketball did in the '80s and '90s," Burrow told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "The Bulls kind of spearheaded that. Made it global, and hopefully the Bengals can do the same thing over the next couple of years for the NFL."

Like Burrow, Michael Jordan was the main driver of the Chicago Bulls' popularity, something that Mike North, the NFL's vice president for broadcast planning, believes is a major reason international fans love the Bengals. He said that Burrow's talent and stardom "resonates in Europe and across the planet."

The trip to Spain will be a first for Burrow, who expressed a desire to arrive in Madrid early in the week to soak in the culture and best prepare the players' minds and bodies for the game, which could prove to be a tough task against a sneaky Falcons team led by Bijan Robinson.

"I hope we go out early in the week so we can experience it a little bit," Burrow said. "Get acclimated to the time zone, have some team bonding out there. Expand my horizons a little bit."

While the Bengals don't typically square off against the Falcons, they are used to seeing Atlanta's head coach, Kevin Stefanski, on the opposite sideline. Stefanski spent the last six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. He went 1-1 against Cincinnati last season.

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