Chiefs Will Not Play International Game in 2026

The Kansas City Chiefs will play all 17 of their regular-season games in the United States in 2026 after the NFL selected a different opponent for the league's game in Madrid, Spain. The league announced Tuesday that the Cincinnati Bengals will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week Nine on Nov.

8, 2026, in the Spanish capital. The Chiefs had been one of four or five possible road teams that could have filled the slot against the Falcons as the visiting team. Their last remaining opportunity for an international game this season had been that contest.

Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the team has been one of the most aggressive in pursuing international play. "We'd love to play again," he said. Owner Clark Hunt noted during the 2026 NFL Draft weekend that the odds of the Chiefs playing in Spain were slightly less than 50 percent.

"There's still a possibility that we would play in Spain, and at this point, I do think the opportunities are limited to Spain," Hunt said. " The Chiefs have played three international games during Patrick Mahomes' 10th NFL season. They opened the 2025 season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, losing 27-21 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

In 2023 they defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14 in Frankfurt, Germany, before winning the Super Bowl that season. Their first international game came in 2019 in Mexico City.

This season the Chiefs have nine road games and eight home games because the 17-game schedule creates an uneven split that alternates yearly. Playing an international game as the road team in Spain would have reduced their home schedule at Arrowhead Stadium to seven games.

That would have meant forgoing ticket revenue from more than 75,000 fans per game and created a competitive disadvantage. The Chiefs hold global marketing rights in Spain along with several other countries. Those rights permit the team to conduct fan engagement events, commercial activities and NFL flag football development programs to build brand awareness.

Hunt said having Patrick Mahomes as the face of the league helps facilitate that growth. Instead the Chiefs will play the Falcons in Atlanta. They defeated Atlanta 22-17 there two seasons ago. The team has expressed continued interest in returning overseas.

"We'd love to be overseas again," Donovan said.