EA Sports has teamed up with NFL to announce that it will debut the Madden NFL 26 International: Madrid Challenge in Madrid, Spain.
The esports competition will conclude with an in-person finale on November 15th, right before the 2025 NFL Madrid game between the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins.
“Playing on an international stage – even being there is insane,” said NFL esports player Jonathan ‘Jonbeast‘ Marquez. “But being on the stage in a great venue, with great energy from everyone was amazing. It’s motivated me now that I’ve seen what it’s like to play football esports outside of America.”
How To Participate
Competitors have two paths to qualify for the Madrid Challenge: the PlayStation tournaments and Challengermode.
Eligible Madden NFL 26 players from Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom can compete in a $10,000 (~£7,447) online competition, hosted through PlayStation tournaments from October 6th to 16th.
Competitors from the United States, Canada and Mexico can play in a $50,000 (~£37,235) qualifier hosted on the Challengermode esports platform.
According to the official rules, the Madrid Challenge will see players first compete in an open phase, playing in up to five days of online ladder play. The top 544 players will move on to a single elimination bracket for up to two days to decide the two top players for the live finals.
Both qualifiers offer not only prize money, but will also give away MUT packs for participating in the challenge.
The top performers will earn a trip to Madrid, Spain, to compete in the championship finals and watch the NFL game in person. Furthermore, the top two players will also qualify for the Madden Championship Series Last Chance Qualifier, fighting for a place in the Madden Bowl.
The finals will take place at the Real Madrid Club Shop, located within the Bernabéu stadium. Viewers can also tune into the live broadcast from the official EA Madden NFL Twitch and YouTube channel.
The Madden Championship Series
The challenge arrives during the ongoing Madden Championship Series’ 26th season, which features three challenge events and a Last Chance Qualifier, all leading up to the international Madden Bowl with a $1.5m (~£1.17m) prize pool.
The announcement comes as the Most Feared challenge is underway, with the finals in Madrid taking place alongside the Zero Chill challenge.
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