<p>Atletico Madrid has announced a landmark agreement with Riyadh Air. That way, they have solidified the Saudi airline’s role as the new naming rights sponsor for their stadium. The deal, one of the largest in sports history, sees the stadium rebranded as the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. It marks a significant expansion in the partnership between the La Liga giants and the Saudi-based company.</p>



<p>The agreement between Atletico Madrid and Riyadh Air runs until 2033 and is reportedly valued at up to €300 million. Thus, this makes it the most substantial sponsorship deal in the club’s history. Riyadh Air became Atletico’s main shirt sponsor last year. They now extend their influence by securing the naming rights for the club’s iconic 70,460-seater stadium. This deal follows the club’s previous sponsorships with Wanda and Civitas</p>



<p>Both of them held the naming rights for the stadium before being replaced by Riyadh Air. The partnership highlights the increasing Saudi involvement in European soccer. Riyadh Air’s CEO, Tony Douglas, emphasized the airline’s commitment to elevating its global profile.</p>



<h2>Strengthening Riyadh Air bond</h2>



<p>The collaboration between <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/atletico-madrid-tv-schedule/">Atletico Madrid</a> and Riyadh Air goes beyond just financial investment. Miguel Angel Gil, CEO of Atletico Madrid, expressed his pride in extending the partnership. He called it a key element in the club’s ongoing development and international appeal. “We are all proud and very happy to announce the extension of the partnership signed then with the agreement whereby our stadium will be named Riyadh Air Metropolitano,” said Gil. “This will drive our global ambitions alongside Riyadh Air’s growth.”Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, echoed these sentiments. “It’s an honour to become the naming partner for the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Both organisations are driven to succeed at the highest level, and having our name on such an iconic stadium will elevate the awareness of Riyadh Air across the sporting world and beyond”.</p>



<p>The first official match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano will take place on October 20, when Simeone’s side hosts Leganes. The event is expected to feature a formal unveiling of the newly branded stadium, which will include updates to signage and branding across the facility. Although the rebranding is already in place, the final installation of the name on the stadium’s northeast and southeast stands will be completed in the coming weeks.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="✈🏟 ¡Bienvenidos al Riyadh Air Metropolitano!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GMEF62-vHvM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<h2>Saudi Arabia’s expanding influence</h2>



<p>This historic deal is part of a broader strategy by Saudi entities to increase their presence in global football, particularly in Europe. Riyadh Air’s involvement with <a href="https://en.atleticodemadrid.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Atletico Madrid</a> follows a series of investments and partnerships between Saudi businesses and top football clubs. Earlier this year, La Liga also partnered with Riyadh Season, a Saudi-backed sports event entity, further demonstrating the kingdom’s growing influence in the soccer world.</p>



<p><em>Photo: Imago</em></p>

Atletico sign world's wealthiest stadium naming rights deal

Atletico Madrid have announced a landmark agreement with Riyadh Air, solidifying the Saudi airline's role as the new naming rights sponsor.


<p>The NFL already has a strong base in England, and after pushing into Germany last year, it sees Spain as its next conquest. The NFL is plotting to host games in two of the country’s most hallowed grounds. Those are the Santiago Bernabeu, the home of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/real-madrid-tv-schedule/">Real Madrid</a>, and the Metropolitano, which <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/atletico-madrid-tv-schedule/">Atletico Madrid</a> calls home. </p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38474638/nfl-investigates-sites-spain-brazil-regular-season-games" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adam Schefter of ESPN</a>, the NFL is looking at Spain and Brazil as potential locations for regular season NFL matches. Over the next three weeks, the league is playing three games in London. Two of those games are at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the first is at Wembley. Spurs’ ground is the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/spurs-stadium-lands-exclusive-deal-as-nfls-uk-home-venue-20230914-WST-456208.html">NFL’s outpost in the UK</a>. Spain and Brazil have never hosted an NFL game. </p>



<p>NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly said the NFL is constantly looking at new locations and ways to change the popularity of the game. There are five games in Europe this year, with three in London and two in Germany. He says interest is coming in from other countries.</p>



<p>“You’ve got some classic soccer clubs around the world who are really interested in hosting the NFL and building a relationship with the NFL. So the marriage of those two — there’s interests there for sure, and it’s just determining the timing and the approach.”</p>



<h2>NFL wants Spain as next international host</h2>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The NFL has begun touring stadiums in both Spain and Brazil — in talks for its first games there as soon as 2024, per <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a>.<br><br>Real Madrid built the new Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with a retractable pitch, with future NFL games in mind.<a href="https://t.co/0DTo8HPcwO">pic.twitter.com/0DTo8HPcwO</a></p>— Front Office Sports (@FOS) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1705938045822726380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Last year, the NFL gave international marketing rights in Spain to the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins. Schefter mentioned next season, the Bears have nine home games in their 17-game schedule. That imbalance could allow Chicago some flexibility to play one of those home games outside of Chicago. That differs from the Jaguars, which have played a game in London each year for the last 10 seasons including 2023. The Jags did not play in London during the 2020 season due to COVID-19.</p>



<p>Much like Tottenham’s new stadium, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid play in lavish new venues. While the Metropolitano is a new construction, the Santiago Bernabeu underwent heavy renovations to update the stadium. The NFL can take advantage of those improvements to enhance the fan experience as it looks to grow its base in Europe. Last year brought the first game in Germany to great success. Allianz Stadium in Munich hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks in a one-score game. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Osnapix</em></p>


NFL in talks to play games at Bernabeu and Metropolitano

The NFL already has a strong base in England, and after pushing into Germany last year, it sees Spain as its next conquest.

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Atletico sign world's wealthiest stadium naming rights deal

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NFL in talks to play games at Bernabeu and Metropolitano