The NFL is heading to Brazil for the first time on the OPENING WEEKEND next season, commissioner Roger Goodell announces… with the Philadelphia Eagles set to host the Friday night football fixture in Sao Paulo
- Which other team will play in the South American match has not yet been announced
- Philadelphia’s 2024 list narrows the choices to nine other franchises
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil will take place during the opening week of the 2024 season, with the Philadelphia Eagles as the home team.
The game against Brazil takes place on Friday, September 6 and is the first NFL opening week game to take place on that day of the week in more than 50 years.
Philadelphia’s designation as the home team limits the other team making the trip to Sao Paulo to nine teams, including all three NFC East rivals.
In addition to the Commanders, Cowboys and Giants as possible opponents are the Browns, Steelers, Jaguars, Panthers, Packers and Falcons.
The match will take place at the Corinthians Arena, home of top Brazilian football team SC Corinthians. The venue was also a host stadium for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, including the semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands.
The Eagles 2024 opener will not take place in Philadelphia, the United States or North America
Corinthians Arena will host the first-ever NFL game to take place in Brazil or South America
“This historic first international game in South America demonstrates the continued expansion of our global footprint,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. ‘Playing on Friday evening of week 1 is a unique way to draw attention to our international growth and ambitions.’
By playing a game in Brazil, the NFL will have played a regular season game or a preseason game on five of the seven continents on Earth, with Africa and Antarctica being the exceptions.
The NFL will play five regular-season games internationally in 2024, with three more taking place in England and another in Germany.
An opponent of the Eagles in 2024 that is unlikely to play in the South American match is the Jacksonville Jaguars, due to their agreement to play an annual match in London.
Another unlikely player to make the trip to Brazil is the Panthers, who have already been announced as the home team for the 2024 NFL game in Germany.
According to an NFL release, Brazil has the league’s second most “ardent” fans for an international country after Mexico (8.3 million).
The NFL’s opening game of recent seasons was played at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions. Now the Eagles will play in the second game of the 2024 NFL season.