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)

DUBLIN (AP) — Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his efforts to pivot away from the United States and allign with Europe, meeting with the leader of Ireland on Saturday ahead of the upcoming G7 summit and saying middle power countries shouldn’t compete for favor with America.

Carney said that Canada and the European Union have a combined population that is more than twice that of the United States, with a similarly sized economy and a collective defense budget that is twice that of China’s.

He said smaller nations can multiply their strength by partnering with like-minded allies.

“In a world of great power rivalry, middle powers have a choice — to compete for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact,” Carney said at Trinity College in Dublin.

He made similar comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which became a symbol of middle-power resistance in January, when he declared the global rules-based order over and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries.

Carney visited Ireland's Taoiseach Micheál Martin earlier on Saturday and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday ahead of the Group of Seven summit of industrialized democracies that begins on Monday in France.

U.S. President Donald Trump leaves for the G7 summit right after he hosts UFC fights at the White House on Sunday for his 80th birthday.

Carney described Canada and Europe as a ”force for good — because we safeguard the values of human rights, dignity, and pluralism that our people hold dear.”

The prime minister said together, the EU and Canada are one of the largest economic, cultural, technological, financial, and military blocs in the world.

“The new world order will be built starting with Europe,” Carney said at an earlier joint news conference with Martin. “Canada is the most European of non-European countries. We are transforming our cooperation with Europe.”

In February, Canada became the first non-European member of the SAFE mechanism, the European Union’s defense procurement initiative. Carney, on this ninth trip to Europe since become prime minister 15 months ago, noted Canada 56 partnerships in the critical minerals sector across more than 10 countries, primarily in Europe.

Carney made his comments despite saying that the U.S. isn’t interested in big changes to free trade agreement with the Canada and Mexico.

“The U.S. has been clear. They don’t want to change the fundamental architecture,” Carney said.

There is a scheduled July 1 review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) the latest iteration of the North American free-trade pact that has intertwined the economies of the three countries since the early 1990s. Trump said this week that he may not renew the deal.

But Carney emphasized that the Trump administration has allowed about 85% of Canadian trade to the U.S. to be tariff free because it is covered under USMCA.

Carney said that to fundamentally change the agreement the White House would have to go to Congress, adding that the White House doesn’t want to do that.

Trump said again this week that the U.S. doesn’t need anything that Canada has. Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U. S. exports in the next decade, saying Trump’s trade war is causing a chill in investment.

“We look forward to that Canadian European Union relationship deepening even further in the months ahead. And that's something we hope to explore during our presidency" Martin said.

Ireland will be holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union starting in July.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, poses for a photograph with Micheal Martin, Ireland's head of government, in front of a portrait of Harry Boland, at the Government Buildings in Dublin, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney signs the Guest Book as Micheal Martin, Ireland's head of government looks on, at the Government Buildings in Dublin, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, gives remarks alongside Micheal Martin, Ireland's head of government, at the Government Buildings in Dublin, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, speaks with Micheal Martin, Ireland's head of government, at the Government Buildings in Dublin, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, shakes hands with Micheal Martin, Ireland's head of government, after giving remarks at the Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press via AP)