By CJ Carlson
Brazil is the next continent to be welcomed into the NFL world. The league just announced that there will be a regular season game played in Brazil, joining Germany and the United Kingdom. There’s not much information on the exact date that this game will be played, but we do know that it’s another big step for the NFL as a whole.
It certainly appears to be a goal for the league to expand their market to the entire world, rather than just the United States. This has been the reason for so many international games, and why they were able to get two games in Germany this season for the first time in history.
Sao Paulo is the chosen location in Brazil, though it wasn’t a runaway favorite to get awarded this honor. Another location that came very close to being awarded an NFL game was Madrid, Spain. While Madrid didn’t get the game in 2024, the executive vice president of the NFL announced that there’s a good chance they host a game in 2025.
International growth has been favored by the owners of each franchise as well. This week, the owners got together to pass a new resolution that would force each team to play in an international game every four years. If that were to be the case, the league would have to schedule up to eight international games every season, starting in 2025. We’ve already seen a team play consistently overseas, with the Jacksonville Jaguars playing in London almost every season. More games like this wouldn’t be a new revelation.
Brazil Was A Hot Topic In The NFL
Right now, the league estimates that there are 38 million fans in Brazil, and they’ve been attempting to get a regular season game there for some time. It had a tough battle with Madrid, but the league liked Sao Paulo so much that they weren’t deterred from bringing the game there first in 2024. Sao Paulo is the most populated city in Brazil, likely a reason for their choice.
The game is likely to be played at Corinthians Arena, seating 49,000 people. That total is slightly under the seating number for the stadium that hosted the Germany games, though I’m sure that it won’t be a massive ordeal. The NFL is definitely getting their wish when it comes to bringing the league market to other places.
