When the Miami Dolphins play the Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, it’ll be the first time the Dolphins ever play a Spanish-speaking country. If team president Tom Garfinkel has his way, it won’t be the last.
In an ESPN feature by Kalyn Kahler, Garfinkel detailed the Dolphins’ efforts to become the NFL team of the Spanish-speaking world. And with that, he’s eyeing more games abroad, even if it means sacrificing home games at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Jacksonville is the only team that receives ticket revenue when it plays abroad because the franchise has its own multiyear deal with the NFL and London’s Wembley Stadium to play games there regularly.
“Garfinkel said the Dolphins are interested in entering into a similar deal to play more frequently in one of their global markets (Brazil, Mexico or Spain) and will continue to have conversations about that possibility with the league’s international committee.”
The Dolphins also have international marketing rights in Argentina and Colombia, although the NFL hasn’t announced its intention to play future games in those countries. Diario Olé, an Argentine newspaper, reported earlier this year that the NFL is looking to put a game in Buenos Aires as early as 2028.
It should also be noted that Brazil is primarily a Portuguese-speaking country, so it isn’t clear if that’s included in Garfinkel’s vision.
“We’re building a pretty robust database right now,” Garfinkel told Kahler. “We have an international soccer match where Colombia is playing Argentina, and we’re collecting data on people that are attending that event. Then we have a Bad Bunny concert, then we have tennis tournament, with [Spanish tennis player Carlos] Alcaraz playing tennis, then we have a Formula One race, where we have [Spanish driver] Carlos Sainz, and now we’re playing in Madrid, so we’re trying to tie all those things together in a synergistic way.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars have played a home game in London, England every year since 2013.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins exec eyeing more games in Spanish-speaking countries