The Miami Dolphins will face young phenom quarterback Jayden Daniels when they play the NFL’s first game in Spain.
The league officially announced Tuesday morning the Dolphins are playing against the Washington Commanders on Nov. 16 for their game in Madrid, Spain. It will be a 9:30 a.m. kickoff Eastern time.
The unveiling of Miami’s opponent and date for the international pairing was spoiled slightly by a Spanish report on Monday by Diario AS, a publication based in Madrid which broke the news a day early.
Miami was first announced as the designated home team for the NFL’s first game in Spain in January. It will be played in Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to famed Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.
Prior to Monday’s report, the Commanders had been a team rumored as the away team against the Dolphins.
At the NFL annual meeting on March 31, coach Mike McDaniel was asked if he expected to play Washington in Spain. He was coy in revealing then whether he knew or not.
“I’m pretty sure we’re going international. I think we know that,” McDaniel said, to laughs at the league meeting. “It’s hard to keep track of what I’m supposed to say and what I’m not. We will be in Madrid. I don’t know against who.”
In August 2024, the Dolphins got an early glimpse of Daniels as a rookie with the Commanders in a joint practice and preseason game. An upstart Washington team surprised in making a run to the NFC Championship Game last season, losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. It was a stark contrast from the 45-15 drubbing the Dolphins delivered the Commanders in December 2023.
The official reveal of the Dolphins’ Spain game, along with the rest of the NFL’s slate of 2025 international games, was done on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” Tuesday morning.
The 2025 Spain game marks the team’s eighth regular-season international game and fourth country, following previous international games in Germany (2023), the United Kingdom (2021, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2007) and Canada (2008). The Dolphins are 2-5 in their previous seven international matchups.
The league’s international series will have three games in London, with the Cleveland Browns facing the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets going against the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Los Angeles Rams.
Other international sites will be: Berlin, Germany involving the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons; Dublin, Ireland with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the host against the Vikings; and São Paulo, Brazil featuring the Los Angeles Chargers, whose opponent will be announced Wednesday with the rest of the NFL schedule.
Home and away opponents for the Dolphins’ 2025 schedule are already known, but dates for all the matchups will be announced Wednesday night.
The Dolphins’ home opponents at Hard Rock Stadium for 2025: Buffalo Bills, Jets, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On the road next season, Miami is slated to play against: Bills, Jets, Patriots, Steelers, Browns, Colts, Falcons and Carolina Panthers.
