The Bengals are traveling to Madrid!
I thought it would be a good idea to set up a megathread for fans coming to the game against the Falcons on Sunday, November 8th, to gather all the key info and provide a single space for people to ask questions, plan meetups, share recommendations, or anything else you might want to do.
I’ll try to keep this updated as more information about events comes out. If you think something is missing, just let me know and I’ll add it. I'm also happy to promote any informal meetups or group activities people want to organize.
I'm not going to discuss what to see in Madrid in general, like restaurant/bar recommendations, etc., in this post since there's plenty of information about that elsewhere. Of course, people are welcome to discuss those topics in the comments.
Useful Links
The Bengals have a page for this game with more details about official events.
I'd also highly recommend checking out the guides written by BengalsUK and La Jungle Hispana, which have tons of useful information.
Basic Info
The game starts at 3:30 PM local time. Gates open 90 minutes early, and I heard it took quite a while for some folks to get through security last year, so I’d suggest arriving pretty early. Be mindful of the bag policy. There are plenty of bars and restaurants nearby for a pregame drink or meal.
The digital ticket guide says tickets will be sent out no later than 72 hours before the game. If you don’t have tickets yet, as of today (October 23rd), there are still a fair number available on the official site. If not, it’s worth checking out reliable resale sites, and remember that prices often drop quite a bit in the last week before game day.
The nearest metro station to the Bernabeu is Santiago Bernabeu (Line 10), but it is currently closed. You can take Metro Line 1 to Estrecho, Metro Line 9 to Concha Espina, Metro Line 10 to Cuzco, or Metro Lines 6, 8, or 10 or light rail to Nuevos Ministerios, all of which are a short walk to the stadium. There are shuttle buses from Cuzco and Nuevos Ministerios to Santiago Bernabeu if you’d rather not walk.
Alternatively, there are lots of nearby bus stops (too many different routes to list), and taxis, Bolt (apparently cheaper than Uber) or Ubers are also an option.
Events
Plaza de Espana is being set up as a hub for NFL fans on Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th, from 11 AM to 7 PM. It sounds like there'll be some mini flag football, games, and entertainment, including photo ops with a Bengals-themed Menina.
There will be an official Bengals Party in El Retiro Park near Florida Park from 8 to 11 PM on Friday the 6th.
Ocean Rock Bar is an official Bengals Bar in Madrid and will be offering drink specials from Thursday to Sunday, along with hosting an official fan meetup from 7 to 10 PM on Saturday the 7th, which will feature giveaways. They’re also holding a watch party starting at 1:30 PM on Sunday the 8th for those without tickets, and I believe they’ll show the rest of the NFL Sunday schedule after the game.
Sports Fans Travel have organized a premium tailgate at the Irish Rover near the Bernabeu from 11:30 AM to 3 PM on Sunday the 8th. Tickets are $215 per person (including all food and drink), and Ickey Woods will be there. I can’t say it looks worth the money to me, but maybe it does to you.
If you're looking to catch the later games after we crush the Falcons and don’t want to travel far from the Bernabeu, The Irish Rover is a short walk away and should be showing the games, although it’s likely to be very busy. As mentioned, the Ocean Rock Bar is likely to show them, and a quick Google search brought up Malasana Sports Pub, James Joyce Irish Pub , and Dubliners as alternatives that may show the games. No guarantees that any of those will definitely show the games or are any good.
Free Beer?
I plan to go to the Florida Park event on Friday evening, the Ocean Rock Bar event on Saturday evening, and then back to Ocean Rock Bar after the game on Sunday to watch the evening games.
I will buy a beer (or another beverage of your choice) for the first person (that I don’t already know) who can correctly spot me at each of those. You’ll be looking for an English guy wearing either a Burrow, Higgins, or Chad Johnson jersey.
Who are they? Who are they? Who do they think will beat the Bengals?
