Falcons start preparations for NFL game in Spain at home of soccer powerhouse Real Madrid

MADRID (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons began preparing for their NFL game in Madrid on Wednesday at the training center of Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid, while the Cincinnati Bengals start practicing Thursday at the facilities of World Cup champion Spain.

Both teams departed to the capital on Tuesday for Sunday's game at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of the record 15-time European champion.

“This is a beautiful facility for us to get some work done this week,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “This is a huge undertaking to take your football team across the pond. And I’m just very appreciative and grateful to the NFL, to our organization. Amazing the amount of work that goes into this.

“I just get to show up and step on the plane and we’re here. But there’s so much work that goes into it, and I’m very appreciative to our group for taking great care of us.”

The Falcons went straight to Real Madrid’s training center for a workout.

It will be the second NFL regular-season game in Madrid after the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime in last year's inaugural game in the country.

“There's always fine tuning that needs to be done, but everything seems to be going on track,” said Rafa de los Santos, the NFL country manager for Spain. “We’re super happy with the way that everything is going, at the stadium level, at the city level, at everything that has to do with the events that we have through the course of the week. Everything ready for a big Sunday.”

The game will include a moment to remember the victims of the high-speed train collision that killed 69 people and injured dozens last week. Organizers did not elaborate on the tribute, saying it will be a surprise.

The game in Madrid will be the seventh in a record nine-game schedule outside the U.S. for the NFL this season. The remaining games will be played in Munich and Mexico City.

Organizers expect “mint” field conditions at the Bernabeu, which is expected to welcome some 80,000 fans on Sunday. A crowd of 78,610 watched the game last year. Tickets were still available for this week’s game.

“The field at Bernabeu is always in good condition,” De los Santos said. “As you know, this is priority No. 1 for Real Madrid, and we’re super happy. We had a happy feeling about the field last year, and we don’t see any indication that this year is going to be any different. We are expecting to have the field in mint condition.”

Last year, the Commanders practiced at Real Madrid's training center and the Dolphins used the stadium facilities of city rival Atletico Madrid. This time, the Bengals chose the home of Spain, which played two matches at the Falcons' stadium in Atlanta during the World Cup earlier this year.

“The good thing is that this year the Falcons are having their practices at (Madrid's training center), and they’re super used to deal with high-level athletes as the Falcons are," De los Santos said. "And, of course, the (Spanish soccer) federation as well, they’re super used to having the world champions.”

The halftime show will feature Colombian music star Manuel Turizo, but organizers will again have to comply with local noise regulations at the Bernabeu, which is located in an upscale residential neighborhood.

Concerts at the stadium have been suspended since 2024 following complaints from neighbors about excessive noise.

“Everything that has to do with the halftime show, and the event itself, it will be under the law and the regulations that we have in Spain,” De los Santos said. “We adjust to the regulations. That’s what we do.”

Madrid and the NFL have another year left on their agreement for games in the Spanish capital.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Atlanta Falcons players warm-up for NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski leads an NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski leads a NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons players warm-up during an NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons players warm-up during NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iranian officials were emboldened Wednesday by a stinging election setback for U.S. President Donald Trump, and world leaders waited to see whether Washington would end the war with Iran.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed they fired strikes on an airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The Israeli military said it struck two suspects in Lebanon, killing one person.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. Read our full coverage here.

Iranians celebrated after U.S. voters, concerned about the war and frustrated over rising prices for fuel, gave Democrats control of Congress in Tuesday’s vote — a major blow for Trump and his Republican Party.

Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, wrote Wednesday on X that “Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message.” He warned that if the U.S. government ignores the vote for change, “it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare.”

But Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, dismissed thoughts that the U.S. will change its approach to the Islamic Republic.

The broader region has been on edge for weeks over whether the U.S. will resume full-scale military operations against Iran. Talks are ongoing aimed at preventing renewed fighting.

Underscoring the mutual hostility, thousands marched through Tehran on Wednesday at a government-organized demonstration commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy.

Pro-government demonstrators burned American and Israeli flags and chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

Jean-Pierre Lacroix said Wednesday that Lebanese officials fear a “security vacuum” between Israeli forces and the Lebanese army when the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL ends Dec. 31.

Lacroix, who recently returned from the Middle East, warned of the risks of leaving the two armies “sort of face-to-face” without a third-party presence. He questioned who would monitor the U.N.-drawn Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, prevent unintended clashes and support communities in southern Lebanon.

The border region patrolled by UNIFIL has experienced decades of violence, including a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah militants in 2024. Israel has long accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent Hezbollah from building up its military presence along the border. Lacroix said efforts to disarm Hezbollah had failed because “there was no political will.”

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, successfully pushed the U.N. Security Council to end the mission after nearly five decades. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres proposed three options in June to maintain U.N. monitoring along the border.

Lacroix said unarmed U.N. military observers would still be authorized to operate in southern Lebanon but questioned how they could do so without protection or support.

He said a Security Council resolution adopted in 2000 remains in effect. The council is scheduled to discuss it Nov. 19.

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday claimed without providing evidence that they targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh as well as several areas in southern parts of the country.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said rebels fired a ballistic missile toward the airport, causing what he described as “major damages” to the airport. He also claimed that the group fired a drone at a radar installation and a ballistic missile at a command and control center in the Jazan province.

The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify these claims. The Saudi information ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Saudi civil defense issued an alert in Riyadh overnight and other warning alerts of potential “danger” in Jazan and Najran early Wednesday.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted oil and logistic facilities as well as airports in Saudi Arabia as part of their plan to fight what they describe as the kingdom’s “blockade” on Yemen.

In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said the strike on a motorcycle in the village of Qabrikha killed one person and wounded another.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had “struck two suspects who were observing IDF soldiers” without providing further details.

The attack was the first in nearly a month as such drone strikes have been rare since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in late June ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Iranian government supporters carry portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as they walk over U.S. and Israeli flags during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters step on U.S. and Israeli flags during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)