Magic Weekend in Madrid: Super League enter Bernabéu talks

Super League is in talks to take Magic Weekend to Real Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium.

Wigan Warriors CEO Kris Radlinski has revealed that discussions have been held with the prospect of taking Super League’s big event to Spain and one of sport’s most iconic stadiums, the 83,000 capacity venue home of the Galacticos.

Magic Weekend was most recently held at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium and it has already been confirmed that a deal has been struck for it to stay there in 2027. However, organisers are now exploring the possibility of taking the event to Madrid in 2028 as Super League continues in its attempts to grow the sport beyond its traditional markets.

How the Bernabéu came about

Radlinski confirmed the news at the official launch of their game in Dublin alongside Warrington Wolves next year, with the two clubs previously playing in Las Vegas in 2025. Super League has taken many games on the road over time, with games being hosted in Paris, Wollongong and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Magic Weekend has previously been staged in places like Cardiff, Edinburgh and Newcastle, but never outside of the UK.

That, however, might be about to change.

Radlinski explained: “This was quite fortuitous, but I was looking to take my son to a Madrid derby, so I reached out through a sponsor of ours, a company called Seat Unique, and I was asking about opportunities.

“I then get an email back from an English guy who works at the Bernabéu, and basically, he knows me, and he’s an English guy, used to work at Arsenal, and he said I would love the opportunity to have rugby league at the Bernabéu.

“So this was one email, and then I have a Zoom follow-up, and I then introduced Rhodri (Jones) to the conversation. It’s a long shot, but who knows what can happen. If it’s planned in advance, the Bernabéu is one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.

“It’s now made for events outside of Real Madrid, which is concerts and other things. I personally see a Magic Weekend in the Bernabéu as something that’s aspirational for the sport, but aspirational for every single fan to go to, that might be really great.

“This has been happening over the last few months. So there’s an opportunity there. Again, it all comes down to economics, but I firmly believe if you look at and you want it to happen, and there’s a desire on both sides for it to happen, then there’s no reason why it shouldn’t.”

The question for organisers will ultimately relate to the economics behind such a venture. The most recent Magic Weekend in Liverpool was the most commercially successful in the event’s history, hence the decision to quickly tie down another year before the first one had even taken place.