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02/02 10:40 CST NFL to play first regular-season game in France with Saints in 2026 NFL to play first regular-season game in France with Saints in 2026 By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- The NFL will play its first regular-season game ever in France next season with the New Orleans Saints set to travel to Paris later this year. The league on Monday announced the plans to play a game at the Stade de France next season in addition to a multiyear deal to keep playing regular-season games at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The NFL has already announced its first game in Australia next season with the Los Angeles Rams set to host that game, as well as games in Rio de Janeiro, Munich, and three in London. The league also could return to Mexico City next season. The additions of Australia and France will mean NFL games will have been played in nine countries outside of the United States after next season. The NFL says it has played 62 regular-season games outside the U.S. so far, with London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto as hosts. The Saints will play an opponent to be determined after the schedule is finalized later this year. The Saints have international marketing rights in France as part of the NFL's Global Markets Program. "Bringing a regular season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league's global footprint," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Paris is one of the world's greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages. Playing our first?ever regular season game at the impressive Stade de France, together with the New Orleans Saints, underlines our continued global growth ambitions and we look forward to bringing the NFL to our passionate fans in France." Saints owner Gayle Benson said she is excited to play in France, citing the "strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France." The Stade de France was built in 1998 when the country hosted the World Cup. It was also used for the 2024 Olympics and has hosted several major international sporting events. The NFL says it has more than 14 million fans in France and launched a flag football program there in 2023 that already reaches more than 8,000 boys and girls. The NFL did not announce any of the teams for the game in Spain. The Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears currently have marketing rights in Spain as part of the league's Global Markets Program. The first NFL regular-season game in Spain was played at the Bernabeu last November as the Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime before a crowd of 78,610 fans. NFL Spain country manager Rafa De Los Santos said the multiyear agreement to playing games in Madrid "underlines our commitment to the market and enables us to continue to engage fans year-round and invest long-term in initiatives like NFL Flag and youth participation." The NFL said Spain is "an important market globally," with 11 million fans. It said it will also focus on developing the league's flag football initiatives across the country. After the first game in Madrid last year, there had also been talks of the league also trying to organize a game in Barcelona at some point. ___ AP Sports Writer Talez Azzoni in Madrid, contributed to this report ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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