Just ahead of the 2026 NFL schedule release on May 14, the Atlanta Falcons found out they will face the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 8 in Madrid, Spain, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“An international game update from the @Disney upfront: the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will play Week 9, Sunday, Nov. 8, in Madrid, Spain on NFL Network,” Schefter reported.
The Falcons and Bengals will be one of a record nine international games for the NFL in 2026. In all, the games will take place across four continents, seven countries and eight different stadiums.
This will count as one of the Falcons’ nine home games in 2026. That being said, their wish may have come true with the announcement of facing the Bengals, according to CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo.
Falcons Get Preferred International Matchup
Just hours before the NFL announced its next game in Spain, DeArdo explained that the Falcons’ schedule wish list would be to play a non-NFC South opponent in the international contest.
“The NFL already announced that the Falcons [are] to host a December game in Spain,” DeArdo wrote. “The Falcons play in one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions and would surely prefer to play their divisional home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium rather than on a neutral site.”
Here is the full list of the Falcons’ home opponents in 2026:
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
The Falcons went 1-2 in their divisional home games last season. Meanwhile, the Falcons, Panthers and Buccaneers all finished 8-9, with Carolina winning the NFC South on a tiebreaker.
As for international games, this will be the second straight season for Atlanta. The Falcons lost 31-25 to the Indianapolis Colts last year in Berlin, Germany.
Bengals Bring International Star Power To Madrid
Even though the Falcons will be the designated home team, much of the attention may center on the Bengals and their star players, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, according to ESPN’s Peter Schrager.
“The NFL looks at Madrid and Spain as a whole as a major growth market,” Schrager wrote. “Last year [was] a huge success. Selecting the Bengals to be the team that goes there and faces the Falcons is a statement on the belief in Cincinnati and Burrow and Chase as two of the faces of the league.”
Schrager added on NFL Live, “The NFL sent the Bengals to London in 2016 and 2019 and it was like, whatever. The NFL choosing the Bengals for this game tells me that the league really believes in this franchise and maybe they are one of the state-of-the-art teams that we’re going to showcase the league with.”
Last year’s game in Madrid featured the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders. It was a relatively uneventful matchup, with Miami winning 16-13. The game was played without Washington starting quarterback Jayden Daniels and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
If everyone is healthy, the Falcons will bring plenty of star power of their own. Atlanta features one of the NFL’s top players in running back Bijan Robinson, along with wide receiver Drake London. Tua Tagovailoa will also be making his second consecutive trip to Madrid.
Falcons’ NFL Schedule Wish Comes True With Bengals Announcement