A Spanish classical guitarist and an American rock singer will open the NFL’s second regular-season game in Spain. The league announced on Thursday, Oct. 22, that Pablo Sáinz-Villegas will play the national anthem of Spain and Taylor Momsen, the lead singer of The Pretty Reckless, will sing the U.S. anthem before the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons meet at the Bernabéu in Madrid on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. in Madrid, which is 9:30 a.m. Eastern time. The Falcons are the designated home team for the Week 9 game, and Colombian singer Manuel Turizo, whose booking was announced on Oct. 9, will headline the halftime show.
Artists @taylormomsen and @PVillegasGuitar will perform the U.S. and Spanish anthems in Madrid! 🇺🇸🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/uk1sYB0HcH
— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2026
A guitar for the Marcha Real
Spain’s anthem, the Marcha Real, has no official lyrics, so Sáinz-Villegas will perform it on guitar. Born in Spain and based in the United States for more than 25 years, he is one of the best-known classical guitarists in the world. He has played in more than 40 countries with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and the Berlin Philharmonic, at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, and the film composer John Williams has written music especially for him.
It will not be his first time in the stadium. In June 2016 he played the Bernabéu with Plácido Domingo at a concert for the tenor’s 75th birthday, a night the league says drew more than 85,000 people. One of the songs they performed together was “Adiós Granada.”
“As a proud Spaniard who has called the United States home for the past 25 years, performing the Spanish National Anthem at Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu for the NFL is an incredibly emotional and meaningful moment,” Sáinz-Villegas said. “To represent Spain through the voice of my guitar, an instrument so deeply connected to our culture and identity, is an extraordinary honor.”
A rock voice for the U.S. anthem
Momsen has fronted The Pretty Reckless since the band’s 2010 debut album, Light Me Up. The group is best known for the multi-platinum single “Heaven Knows” and has nine No. 1 singles on the U.S. mainstream rock radio chart, the most by any female-led act. The band has toured with AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters and Guns N’ Roses, and its fifth album, Dear God, came out this year and produced another chart-topper in “When I Wake Up.”
“I’ve been able to perform a lot of incredible songs with some truly legendary artists, but there’s something really special about singing the anthem at the 2026 NFL Madrid game and being able to represent the country on an international stage,” Momsen said.
Tim Tubito, the league’s senior director for event presentation, music and entertainment, said the goal was music that reflects the host city. “We want the music to connect with our fans and reflect the city we’re playing in,” he said. “These two incredible artists will help us build that energy in the stadium and set the tone for a great day of NFL football.”
Year two in Madrid
The NFL’s first game in Spain was played at the Bernabéu on Nov. 16, 2025, when the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime. Before that game, Karina Pasian sang the U.S. anthem and a military band from the Spanish Marines played the Marcha Real, and Bizarrap and Daddy Yankee performed at halftime. The league is back this season under a multiyear agreement with the city, the regional government and Real Madrid. More on the build-up is in our Madrid countdown.
In Spain, the anthems and the full halftime show will be shown live on DAZN, Cuatro and Mediaset Infinity. Madrid is one of a record seven international halftime shows this season. Before it comes the first regular-season game in France, Steelers-Saints at the Stade de France on Sunday, Oct. 25, with Burna Boy at halftime. After it, Cage The Elephant plays Patriots-Lions in Munich on Nov. 15 and The Warning plays Vikings-49ers in Mexico City on Nov. 22, the last of nine games abroad this season.
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