The globalization of the NFL advances: it will be one of the most televised sports in Spain
American football consolidates its international expansion with historic agreements in Europe and Latin America
The NFL continues its global expansion strategy and, starting October 12, will become one of the most televised sports in Spain. Mediaset Espana confirmed an agreement with the National Football League that will allow it to broadcast 37 games, including the highly anticipated NFL Madrid Game 2025, which will pit the Miami Dolphins against the Washington Commanders on November 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Of the total games, 18 will be broadcast by Cuatro and 19 by Mediaset Infinity, in addition to comprehensive coverage on ElDesmarque's sports programs, which will include a special segment dedicated to American football. This agreement, according to the audiovisual group, seeks to bring "one of the most followed events on the planet" to the Spanish public.
Cuatro will premiere its programming with a double-header on Sunday, October 12, broadcasting the Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs (2:15 p.m.) and Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets (3:30 p.m.), the latter from Tottenham Stadium in London. From that date until January 4, the channel will broadcast the traditional Sunday Night Football every Sunday, the main game of each day.
Spain joins the NFL's key markets
The regular season will culminate with three playoff games and Super Bowl LX, scheduled for February 8, 2026 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with Bad Bunny as the headliner of the halftime show.
Spain thus joins the list of countries where the NFL has gained significant ground. It currently has 11.3 million fans, ranking it fourth in Europe behind Germany (20.9 million), the United Kingdom (17.3 million), and France (14.2 million), according to figures revealed by the EFE news agency.
In Latin America, Mexico leads the list with 39.9 million followers, followed by Brazil (26.1 million) and Canada (15.6 million). Mexico is also the country outside the United States that has hosted the most regular-season games—five in total—although the Azteca Stadium is currently undergoing renovations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The economic impact of these international matches is significant. London, which has hosted 40 games since 2007, has generated more than $2.669 billion. Brazil has also entered the scene with games at Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena and an agreement to bring three more games to Rio de Janeiro's legendary Maracana starting in 2026.
With this new push in Spain, the NFL strengthens its global presence and takes another step toward establishing itself as a truly global sporting phenomenon.