Joe Burrow finally has his wish granted by the NFL as the Bengals can now prepare for a trip they’ve never taken before
The Cincinnati Bengals are going overseas during the 2026 NFL regular season! Cincinnati will play a road game against the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain as part of the league’s international series.
The Cincinnati Bengals are going over to Europe for the first time since 2019.
Per multiple reports, Cincinnati has been selected to be hosted by the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain. It will be the second-ever NFL regular season contest played in the European country.
This will be the third international game in Bengals history. Their first was in London, UK back in 2016 against Washington. They went back to London three years later to face the Los Angeles Rams during Zac Taylor’s first year as head coach.
Going back across the pond this year will be special for Joe Burrow. It will be his first time playing outside the country, and he’s wanted this for some time.
Joe Burrow gets his wish a year later
The NFL announced it was adding Spain as an international location for games last year, with the Miami Dolphins hosting the first game.
A rumor spread at the time claiming the Bengals were going to be the opponent. Cincinnati was a road opponent on Miami’s 2025 schedule.
Burrow caught wind of the rumor and posted “Bengals v. Dolphins in Madrid? Please be true” to his Instagram story.
Burrow’s Bengals ultimately weren’t chosen for that game. A year later, they’re making that flight.
The NFL has heard Burrow’s desire. VP of broadcast planning Mike North told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson going over to Europe this season was definitely on the table.
“He’s been vocal about it,” North said earlier this offseason. “I remember he was pretty disappointed last year when you guys didn’t go. I think that’s a real possibility for the Bengals this year. Certainly, they’re a candidate to go play Washington in London, certainly a candidate to go play Atlanta in Madrid. They’ve got one of those fan bases, thanks in large part to the quarterback, that resonates in Europe and across the planet.”
When will the rest of the Bengals’ schedule be released?
The entire 2026 NFL schedule will be revealed May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Cincinnati has eight home games and eight true road games on the docket aside from its first-ever trip to Spain.
Check out our schedule predictions below!