Clarity emerges surrounding potential Dallas Cowboys' international game

Since the NFL started expanded its "NFL International Series" beyond the United Kingdom in 2016, the Dallas Cowboys haven't played one international game. The last time they played abroad was inn 2014 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They're currently the only team in the NFL to not have played at least two regular season games outside of the U.S.

Many expect that to change in the 2026 regular season, and the latest news brings clarity to where that could be.

One fewer destination on the table for Dallas

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams announced they're giving up a home game to play in Melbourne, Australia. They'll face the San Francisco 49ers. Some considered the Cowboys a good candidate to head to Melbourne, but Australia gets an epic NFC West clash instead.

While the Cowboys could still be a possibility for one of the many Europe games the NFL has in store, there's a growing feeling that if Dallas is bound for an international game, it will be in Latin America for either Mexico or Brazil. And based on at least one insider from ESPN Mexico, one of them is off the table.

NFL insider claims Cowboys won't head to Mexico

John Sutcliffe from ESPN said last week the Cowboys aren't headed to Mexico City but instead Brazil.

"I can tell you the Cowboys aren't going to go to Australia and they won't go to Mexico," Sutcliffe said on live TV. "They will go to Brazil."

Sutcliffe cited Jerry Jones' businesses in Brazil as a reason for the Cowboys' interest to play there instead of Mexico, where they have a larger fanbase. Last year, Jones told reporters his preference was to play in Mexico if he had to do an international game.

The process to pick teams to play internationally is a complicated one and many factors are at play. For now, there's no other choice but waiting to know what will happen with the Cowboys. One thing is clear, however: Playing abroad feels like a strong probability for Dallas one way or another.

The NFL has announced nine international games for the 2026 NFL season. It revealed the plan is to get to 16 international games per year in the future.