Bengals beat Falcons 34-17 in front of 78,660 fans at Madrid's Bernabéu

For one afternoon, Real Madrid's Bernabéu turned into an American football cathedral. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in the NFL's second game in Madrid, and it was mostly a Joe Burrow show.

The stands were a sea of orange and red, the colours of the two teams. Jerseys of Burrow, Jamarr Chase and Bijan Robinson were everywhere, and some fans were throwing passes outside the stadium before kick-off.

What happened?

The Bengals' passing game was too much for Atlanta in the first half. Chase, Burrow's former college teammate, picked up more than 142 yards and scored a 47-yard touchdown. By half-time it was 24-10.

The Falcons stayed in it thanks to their running game. Robinson, the league's top rusher this season in yards, scored right after the break to bring Atlanta back into the game.

The hope didn't last. Burrow answered with another touchdown pass, and the Falcons had nothing left in the final quarter. An interception by defender Barret Carter sealed it.

It was Cincinnati's fourth win in a row. The Bengals are now chasing the Pittsburgh Steelers for the lead of their division, the AFC North.

What was the atmosphere like?

Expectations were more modest than last year, but it didn't hurt attendance: 78,660 fans came, 50 more than in 2025. Bengals fans were the majority and booed the Falcons at every turn.

Spain's world champions Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella and Ferran Torres were in the crowd. Before kick-off, the coin toss honoured this year's Spanish champions in different categories, including Cucurella, Thiago Pitarch and Athenea del Castillo. There was also a minute of silence for the victims of the Urda train tragedy.

At half-time, Colombian singer Manuel Turizo performed with Lola Indigo, a troupe of dancers and fireworks, mixing bachata with hits like her song 1000Cosas.

What happened last time?

The first regular-season NFL game in Spain was played at the same stadium on 16 November 2025. The Washington Commanders beat the Miami Dolphins 16-13. Back then, Zinedine Zidane and former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino took part in the coin toss, a nod to the link between football and soccer.

This time, the Bengals made sure the Bernabéu saw plenty of touchdowns.