Real Madrid's Bernabeu The Front Runner To Host Historic Game
In this story:
It isn't biased, consciously or otherwise, to suggest that Real Madrid's Bernabeu is one of the most iconic grounds in world football, especially after the renovations that took place at the beginning of the decade.
The ground now has a capacity of 83,186, making it one of the largest stadiums in the world and the third-largest in Europe.
Owing to the ever-improving stature of the ground, it hosted an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders back on November 16, during the third international break of the season. The Dolphins won an entertaining game 16-13.
Such was the success of the event, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, that the NFL will return to the Bernabeu one day: "We will be back, we are excited. This has been a great opportunity for us. We always wait until we get through the games, but we want to be back here in Madrid [and] Spain. I think this is a great market for us."
Some high praise indeed. Furthermore, the Bernabeu has hosted four Champions League finals, most recently in 2010, where Inter Milan defeated Bayern Munich 2-0. That proved to be Jose Mourinho's final game in charge of the club, before taking over at Real Madrid that summer.
Some may remember that in 2018, the Bernabéu hosted the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between fierce rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. Such was the crowd trouble between both sets of fans that they needed a second leg away from Buenos Aires, and what better place to have the game at? River Plate would win 3-1 after extra time.
Bernabeu Desired Destination For Biggest Game In Football
Well, it looks like there will be an even bigger final taking place at the home of Real Madrid than those two games. The biggest game in Europe is pretty big. The biggest game in South America is pretty big. So, what is bigger than those two games?
That would be the biggest game in football and sport generally. According to Diario AS, the Bernabéu is the preferred venue for the 2030 World Cup final.
Their report suggests that there are doubts over Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, and the modernisation and ability to host big events appear to have given the Bernabeu the green light to host the final.
Some of you may have already twigged that this would not be the first time the World Cup final will take place at Real Madrid's home. Indeed not, as the 1982 World Cup final was also played at the then-named Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, with Italy defeating West Germany 3-1.
As for the 2030 World Cup in general, Spain will co-host the tournament along with Morocco and Portugal, in the first-ever World Cup to be co-hosted across two continents. There will also be one game taking place in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the tournament.
The Latest Real Madrid News
Georgina Rodriguez Describes Moment When Cristiano Ronaldo Proposed With Giant Ring
Real Madrid Transfer News: Diomande, Yang, Rayan, Williams & More - December 18, 2025
Liverpool and Real Madrid Battling To Sign Marc Guehi, But Who Is Leading The Race?
Albacete’s Vallejo Reveals Ideal Copa del Rey Opponent Between Barcelona and Former Club Real Madrid
Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
Follow tomvinall00