We are days away from learning exactly when and where the Kansas City Chiefs will face each of their opponents next season and when the full schedule is released, don’t be surprised to see the Chiefs heading overseas.
The NFL will hold a record nine international games in seven countries on four continents next season and I’m fully expecting the Chiefs to be involved in one of them in particular.
The Atlanta Falcons are set to be the home team for the second-ever game to be played in Madrid, Spain, and it would make perfect sense for Kansas City to be their opponent.
The Chiefs are slated to play the Falcons on the road this season and they are one of five of Atlanta’s opponents who aren’t already scheduled to play overseas.
Kansas City is one of the biggest scheduling drawcards in the NFL, which would likely be a boost for both attendance and ratings, and Spain is one of the team’s designated international markets. Heck, even Kansas City’s jersey colours match the flag of Spain – red and yellow.
It feels like all the stars are aligning on this one.
The Chiefs have expressed a clear keenness to play overseas. Kansas City has seven international markets, tied for the equal-most of any team in the NFL (Austria, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom).
Ahead of their game in Sao Palo last year, Chiefs owner and CEO Clark Hunt told a Chiefs event "We've been very transparent in our desire to become the world's team. A big part of that is growing the Chiefs Kingdom all over the globe”.
The trip across the pond would be Kansas City’s fifth international game, with the previous four played in Brazil, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The Chiefs are 3-1 in those games.
A game in Spain would make Kansas City the first team in the NFL to play an international game in five different countries, after the Chiefs already became the first team to play in four different countries last year.
If the Chiefs do get to face Atlanta in Spain, they’ll also get to play in one of the most famous and incredible stadiums in the world.
The Madrid game will be played at the Bernabéu, the home of soccer giants Real Madrid. It’s one of the world’s most high-tech stadiums and features a retractable field and a retractable roof. Renovations at the stadium cost a cool $2.06 billion USD.
The revamped Bernabeu features a retractable pitch, and it is incredible 🤯🏟️pic.twitter.com/eEvjd7vfYk
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 6, 2023
The Bernabéu hosted the first-ever NFL game in Spain last year when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13. The stadium has a capacity of 83,000.
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