NFL’s Announcement Could Have Huge Impact on Bears in 2026

The Bears could be headed overseas in 2026, and Spain is the most likely destination.

The National Football League confirmed on February 2 it will play regular season games in Madrid beginning in 2026 as part of a multiyear agreement. Games will be played at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the renovated home of the Real Madrid soccer squad. The NFL hasn’t yet announced which teams will be playing in Madrid, but the Bears are a top contender.

Chicago is one of three NFL teams that have marketing rights in Spain under the league’s Global Markets Program. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins are the other two.

While the Bears aren’t guaranteed to play anywhere overseas, the marketing connection, as Bear Report’s Zack Pearson noted, is “something to keep an eye on.”

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More on the Possibility of the Chicago Bears Playing in Madrid, Spain in 2026

So, what do marketing rights have to do with anything? Put simply, teams that have them are allowed to promote the NFL brand locally, and they can also form partnerships and sell merchandise in those countries, among other things.

The league has often paired international games with teams that already have a business footprint in that market. That doesn’t guarantee those teams will play overseas, but it does make those franchises the most logical choices if you’re looking at the business aspect of things.

Spain is relatively new to the game. In November 2025, the NFL played its first regular season game there. The Dolphins handed the Washington Commanders a 16-13 loss in overtime in front of more than 78,000 fans. Considering the Dolphins played there last year, it’s not unreasonable to think either the Bears or the Chiefs could be headed to Spain in 2026.

If Chicago does get chosen to head overseas, it would likely be designated as the home team and would give up one game at Soldier Field, as a result. That’s fairly standard for international matchups, as the NFL rotates those home assignments across franchises, taking travel and competitive fairness into consideration, among other things.

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There Will Be 9 Regular Season NFL Games Overseas in 2026

There has been a larger overseas push to grow the league’s fan base overseas in recent years. The NFL plans to have nine regular season games in seven different cities outside the United States in 2026.

Those nine games are expected to include three in London, along with single games in Madrid and Munich. Additional games have been announced or reported for Paris, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City. The final lineup of teams has not yet been released.

For the Bears, Spain makes the most sense because it’s a designated growth market. After making the playoffs and winning the NFC North, the Bears are one of the hotter teams in the league. They have a budding superstar at quarterback in Caleb Williams, and there’s an undeniable buzz surrounding the franchise. Sending Chicago overseas to recruit more fans and help grow the league makes tons of sense.

Nothing is official yet, of course. But Bears fans might want to keep Madrid in the back of their minds as a possibility in 2026.