Atmosphere at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium looking a lot different ahead of 1st NFL game in Spain

MADRID (AP) — The scene at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium looked a lot different Sunday, with troves of fans wearing NFL jerseys instead of the white Real Madrid shirts usually seen on a regular soccer gameday.

The Miami Dolphins will take on the Washington Commanders at the Bernabeu for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Spain. It will be the seventh — and final — international game of the season, the most ever in one year for the NFL as it continues to expand globally.

“What we are seeing here today is a lot different than when Real Madrid plays, you can tell that the American culture is a lot different from the European culture,” said Antonio Navas, a 32-year-old Real Madrid fan who lives in the Spanish capital. “It's nice to see all those different jerseys and the people getting ready to enjoy the event.”

Navas, one of the few fans wearing a Real Madrid soccer shirt, said it was a much more relaxed atmosphere, with the local fans not having to worry too much about what happens on the field.

“I think today it's more about enjoying the event. There's no tension about trying to get a win, it's nice,” he said. “In the end, we are proud that the NFL chose Real Madrid to host this game, it's good for the club's brand abroad.”

Instead of the usual Real Madrid chants heard outside the stadium before games, there were small bands and team mascots wandering around. The line for the megastore inside the stadium, which sold both NFL and Real Madrid products, was much longer than usual.

The inside of the stadium looked a lot different as well, with the colors of the Dolphins and the Commanders taking over the venue. Some seating at both ends of the stadium had to be removed to fit in the longer playing field required for American football.

The NFL game will be one of the main events at the Bernabeu since it underwent a major renovation.

The initial batch of tickets for the first regular-season NFL game in Madrid was gone in a matter of hours, with nearly 700,000 people trying to get a seat to watch the game. There were fans still trying to buy tickets outside the stadium on Sunday.

Many foreigners were in town for the match.

“We love the experience, we are taking eight days to do this,” said Michael Mahan, who traveled from Florida with his family to watch the game and do some sightseeing. “It's fun. This is our home game, we have to enjoy it."

The Dolphins are the designated home team for the Week 11 game.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Workers prepare the field at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium ahead of an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Workers prepare the field at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium ahead of an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Workers prepare the field at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium ahead of an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Workers prepare the field at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium ahead of an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced a plan Wednesday to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, moving past a split between the two Republican leaders that resulted in Congress leaving Washington last week without a fix to a record-setting partial government shutdown.

They said in a joint statement that “in the coming days” Republicans in Congress will return to a Senate plan to fund most of the department through an agreement with Democratic senators, with the exception of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. Republicans would then try later to fund those agencies through party-line spending legislation.

Neither outcome is guaranteed, and the strategy could potentially still face opposition from the GOP’s own ranks even though President Donald Trump has given his support.

“We appreciate and share the President’s determination to once and for all bring an end to the Democrat DHS shutdown,” said Johnson, R-La., and Thune, R-S.D.

The plan represents a do-over of what senators had in mind when they passed a bipartisan funding agreement through unanimous consent last Friday. The Senate could approve similar legislation as soon as Thursday morning through unanimous consent, but even if that happens, it's unclear how quickly the bill could move through the House. It will likely take several months for Republicans to act on the second part of Trump's plan and pass budgeting legislation to fund ICE and Border Patrol.

House Republicans refused to go along with the Senate plan last week, instead changing the bill to fund all of DHS for 60 days.

As a result, the shutdown continued as lawmakers left for their home states and congressional districts for a two-week recess. The DHS shutdown reached its 47th day on Wednesday.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, "Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction."

The announcement from the GOP leaders showed that for now, Thune and Johnson are on the same page. Their working relationship experienced a rupture late last week when Johnson — at the urging of many House Republicans — rejected Thune’s plan.

The top Republicans hoping the path ahead will win over skeptical GOP colleagues, but the most conservative lawmakers are likely to seek full funding for all of Trump’s immigration and deportation operations.

“Let’s make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., posted on X. “If that’s the vote, I’m a NO.”

It is uncertain whether Johnson could find enough support from the House to recall lawmakers back to Washington before their spring recess ends in mid-April.

Meanwhile, the narrow budget package being prepared for later this year is expected to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of Trump’s term, as a away to try to ensure those agencies are no longer at risk from Democrats objecting to the president’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump weighed in on the shutdown, using a social media post to seemingly call on Republicans to fund the immigration portions of DHS through a bill that would not require Democratic support. He said he wanted the legislation on his desk by June 1.

“We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” Trump said.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries released a statement saying, “It’s time to pay TSA agents, end the airport chaos and fully fund every part of the Department of Homeland Security that does not relate to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine.”

The vast majority of Homeland Security workers continue to report to work during the shutdown, but many thousands have been going without pay. That led to more Transportation Security Administration agents calling out from work, causing frustrating security lines at some of the nation's biggest airports. Those bottlenecks appeared to be clearing this week as agents began receiving backpay, per an executive order from Trump.

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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed reporting.

Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a news conference after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)