Tua Tagovailoa thinks it would be “sick” to play in Jerusalem

The Miami Dolphins completed their international schedule with a 16-13 overtime win against the Washington Commanders at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday, the NFL’s first regular season game in Spain. The win in Week 11, Miami’s first in a European stadium since 2014, dropped their record to 4–7. It also produced a quarterback Tua Tagovailoa his long-awaited foray abroad after previous losses in London and Frankfurt.

Tagovailoa has now appeared in three international games in his career. 2021 threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns on 33-of-47 passing in a 23-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. In 2023, he went 21-of-34 for 193 yards and one touchdown in Frankfurt, where Miami lost 21–14 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tagovailoa completed 14 of 20 passes for 171 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and three sacks against the Commanders. The Dolphins relied heavily on running back De’Von Achane, who totaled 120 carries for 21 yards along with five receptions for 45 yards. Washington nearly stole the game, but his 56-yard attempt in the closing seconds missed, allowing Miami to escape. In the first moment of overtime, Jack Jones intercepted Marcus Mariotaleading to Riley Patterson’s 29-yard field goal.

After the win, Tagovailoa was asked what international destination he would like to see next. First, he previously mentioned Hawaii, where his family still lives offering a surprising answer.

“Shoot, it would be pretty cool to play in Jerusalem. … That would be sick,” he said (h/t NFL Insider Jordan Schultz).

His response was unexpected, given that the NFL has never held a regular season game in the Middle East and expressed no interest in doing so. The conflict in the region and the humanitarian crisis make such a game unlikely, and logistical challenges further complicate the idea. Jerusalem’s two stadiums, with more than 30,000 seats, fall short of the NFL’s smallest international attendance of over 47,000, which has been used in previous global games.

The match concluded the seventh international competition of the 2025 season, joining earlier matches in Brazil, Ireland, Germany and the United Kingdom. The league’s international streak, which began in 2007, continues to expand, with games scheduled in Mexico and Great Britain, with the first game in Australia scheduled for 2026. Commissioner Roger Goodell also said the league plans to explore Asia after Australia.