The NFL International Series will be going to places next season it hasn’t gone before.
An NFL regular-season game will be played in Brazil in 2024, the league announced on Wednesday. It will be the first time the league will play in South America as the NFL continues to expand its global outreach. Brazil will be the fourth country outside the U.S. to be part of the international series, joining Mexico, England and Germany.
The game will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, which hosted the opening ceremony and a semifinal match in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
‘Bringing the NFL to new continents, countries and cities around the world is a critical element of our plan to continue to grow the game globally,’ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. ‘Brazil has established itself as a key market for the NFL, and we are excited to be playing in Brazil and São Paulo for the first time in 2024. We look forward to working with the city of São Paulo, SP Turis and Corinthians Arena to deliver a world-class game day experience for this passionate and growing fan base.’
The announcement of the Brazil game came as the league announced it will be boosting its international series in 2025, with more games than ever possibly being played abroad.
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Which NFL teams will play in Brazil?
Outside of Jacksonville in Wembley Stadium, the NFL did not release which teams will play in the international games next season, saying they would be announced in early 2024. However, there is one team that will likely be playing in Brazil.
As part of the NFL’s International Home Marketing Areas initiative, teams can market in approved countries ‘as part of an important, long-term, strategic effort to enable clubs to build their global brands.’ The only NFL team with rights in Brazil are the Miami Dolphins, making them a likely candidate to play in the Brazil game next season.
NFL International Series 2024
International games have been a part of the NFL for nearly two decades, beginning when the San Francisco 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City in 2005. But the league has ramped up the amount of international games played in each season in recent years, with the 2023 schedule having three games in London and two in Frankfurt.
The game in São Paulo will be one of five international regular-season games in 2024. Three games will be played in London, with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosting two games and Wembley Stadium hosting a Jacksonville Jaguars home game. Another game will be played in Germany, with the league returning to Allianz Arena in Munich.
Future of NFL International Series
Expect even more games abroad in the coming years.
The NFL also announced Wednesday owners approved an increase in international games beginning in 2025, meaning up to eight regular-season games can be played outside of the U.S. in a season. The league added new markets and host cities could be part of the increased amount of games. The NFL has been open about its desire to play a game in Spain.
‘As a league, we welcome the update to this resolution that will ultimately see us play more games internationally than ever before, helping us to expand our global footprint and connect our teams and athletes with new audiences,’ said Joel Glazer, chairman of the NFL’s International Committee and owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ‘International games have been a huge success, and we are excited for the opportunity to share the sport of American football with more fans from around the world in the future.’
With the increase of international games, no team would be required to play multiple games outside of the U.S. in the same season unless desired. Each team playing in an international game will be allowed to pick two opponents on their schedule they do not want to play abroad, and games will not be played after Week 14 of the regular season.