The New Orleans Saints could be headed overseas sooner rather than later.
The Saints are set to play the Miami Dolphins in 2025 — the same team who announced in January that they were set to host a game in Madrid in the upcoming season.
It marks the first time an NFL game will be played in Spain as the league continues to bring contests around the world. The venue the action will take place in is the 78,000-seat Bernabeu Stadium.
The opponent has not yet been revealed, but Miami’s list of visitors for 2025 does include the Saints, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and the Washington Commanders.
If the opponent is indeed the Saints, it will not be the first time the two teams have faced each other outside of the United States. The Saints and the Dolphins squared off against each other in London, England, back in 2017. New Orleans won a 20-0 shutout over Miami in that game.
And it has been even longer since the Saints have played the Dolphins in Miami, with that game taking place over a decade and a half ago when Saints came out on top, 46-34 on Oct. 25, 2009.
The Saints last traveled abroad to play a game against the Vikings in London on Oct. 2, 2022, losing 28-25 in a close one to Minnesota.
Looking ahead, the Saints themselves could end up hosting their next international game in Paris, France as soon as 2025, though it seems more likely that would occur in 2026. The news was originally reported by Fletcher Mackel of WDSU back in mid-August.
New Orleans holds exclusive marketing rights with the country, and it’s fitting given the state of Louisiana’s strong connections to France and cultural connections that have always been very evident in the state.