Patrick. Mahomes
Getty
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at Arena Corinthians on September 05, 2025 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Kansas City Chiefs have played internationally in two of the past three years.
In Week 1 of last season they squared off against the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil, losing a close one 27-21. In Week 9 of the 2023 season Kansas City met the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, winning 21-14.
The Chiefs have made it clear that they would like to consistently play in international games. They own marketing rights in seven different countries – including the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, Switzerland, and Spain.
Kansas City Chiefs Facing Competition From Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears to Play in Spain During 2026 Regular Season
The Atlanta Falcons have already been announced as the home team for the NFL’s return to Madrid, Spain in 2026. Chiefs president Mark Donovan has stated that the team is making a strong push to be their opponent in that game.
“We’ve been very open and aggressive with the league — as we have been since the beginning — that we want to play in Spain this year,” Donovan told the Kansas City Star. “We think it would be a great market, game [and] matchup.”
John Breech of CBS Sports explained that while the Chiefs have a good shot to be selected, they are facing some competition from the Bengals and Bears, who also desire to play in the game.
“On the other hand, there’s also a chance the NFL could deny the Chiefs’ request. As we just mentioned, Chicago is also an option to play the Falcons in Madrid and the Bears also have marketing rights in Spain, so the NFL could certainly end up sending them to the Spanish capital instead of the Chiefs. And then there’s the Bengals, who seem to be a wild card candidate. If the NFL doesn’t want to upset the Bears or Chiefs, who both have marketing rights, they could send a team that doesn’t have marketing rights. In this case, that would be Cincinnati, which is something the league is considering, according to Mike North, the NFL’s Vice President of Broadcast Planning.”
The Bengals could have the edge since they have not played an international game since the 2019 season. Chicago last played internationally in 2024 when they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-16 in London. We will see if the Chiefs still have enough pull with the league following a down year in 2025.
Other Potential Marquee Games on Chiefs’ 2026 Schedule
Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen
GettyChiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Bills QB Josh Allen
The regular season won’t be revealed until May, a few weeks after April’s draft. However, we already know all 14 of Kansas City’s opponents. One matchup that is always a huge deal is against the Buffalo Bills, who the Chiefs will play for a seventh consecutive year. Kansas City also has the misfortune of playing both 2025 Super Bowl teams – the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
Other big games in 2026 include matchups against the Los Angeles Rams, who now have former Chiefs starting cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, and the San Francisco 49ers, who have a storied history with Kansas City. As usual, the Chiefs will be in play for multiple primetime and holiday games.