The Spanish capital, Madrid, reaped enormous profits thanks to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium hosting an NFL game for the first time in history.
The Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime last Sunday, in a game that filled the Santiago Bernabéu to capacity with 78,000 spectators and garnered significant global attention.
According to the newspaper AS, initial estimates indicate that Madrid earned over €150 million as a result of this event.
Hotel occupancy rates in the capital reached 90%, and 42,000 seats in the Bernabéu were occupied by international tourists, mostly from the United States, with an average stay of four days in Madrid.
Thanks to the large number of tourists and their spending in bars and restaurants, which exceeded €21 million, Madrid’s profits were incredible, encouraging officials to request hosting more American football games.
The NFL expressed its satisfaction with the experience of holding a game outside the United States and on Spanish soil, hinting at the possibility of the Santiago Bernabéu hosting other games in the future, a move warmly welcomed by the Spanish government.
It’s worth noting that Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, used the event to mock Real Madrid’s stance on Barcelona’s match against Villarreal being held in the United States, considering it a major contradiction on the part of president Florentino Pérez.
