The NFL's international schedule for the 2025 NFL season hasn't been finalized yet, and there's been some speculation that the Cincinnati Bengals could end up playing in an international game next season. Specifically, they've been mentioned as a potential opponent for the Miami Dolphins for a game set in Madrid, Spain.
The rumors of the Bengals potentially playing in Spain reached Cincinnati's front office, and Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn responded to them at the at the annual NFL Owner’s Meeting. However, Bengals fans hoping for a definitive answer will be underwhelmed by her comments.
Katie Blackburn not sure if Bengals will play an international game in 2025
“We asked (the NFL) when we saw those reports and they wouldn’t tell us anything,” Blackburn said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer “In 2025 or 2027, you could go as the home team, but the visiting team still has the opportunity to go, and it seems like the only one that would match up would be the Madrid game because of the opponent. We don’t know. We’ll find out when they announce it.”
Not too much clarity there. The good news is that we won't have to wait too long to find out if the Bengals will be heading abroad, as the full schedule for the '25 season should be released in the not-too-distant future.
There's at least one player on Cincinnati's roster who is hoping that the Bengals are ultimately selected to play in Spain: Star quarterback Joe Burrow, who previously expressed some excitement about a potential matchup between Cincinnati and Miami in Madrid.
Burrow probably isn't alone when it comes to Bengals players hoping that the team gets an international game. After all, it's been a while since Cincinnati played in an international game, so they're technically due. Cincinnati's last international appearance came during the 2019 season when they faced off against the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium in London.