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NFL Announces Change to 2026 Season on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 2:08 PM ET

The NFL on Friday confirmed a multiyear commitment to play a minimum of three regular-season games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over the next five years, beginning in 2026.

The NFL staged a high-profile international opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, earlier this month between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs at Corinthians Arena, drawing more than 47,000 fans in person and record streaming numbers online.

YouTube, which streamed the game globally, reported a total audience of about 17.3 million (Nielsen measured 16.2 million on the platform in the U.S.), giving the league both reach and proof of concept.

This latest development comes just three weeks after the Chiefs vs. Chargers game and marks the league’s latest step in an aggressive international push that already includes stops in Europe, Mexico and Australia.

The NFL reported north of $23 billion in revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, according to Sports Business Journal.

As a result, team distributions have risen as well, with each franchise being told it would receive roughly $416 million from national media, sponsorship and licensing revenue.

This represents an 8.9% rise from the previous year's $382 million distribution and solid proof the NFL has the cash and the appetite to invest in new markets.

In regard to how other overseas games have performed, London, Mexico City and Germany have all produced dependable sellouts and big local economic bumps.

The NFL’s International Series has grown to multiple games per season and now includes first-time stops (Madrid, Spain; Berlin, Germany; and Dublin, Ireland in 2025) and a planned debut in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has publicly suggested Europe could eventually support a franchise, part of a longer play to turn international interest into recurring revenue and deeper brand footholds.

"I would say that the markets outside the U.S. are very, very attractive," Goodell said. "And we've got pretty good coverage here."

The Rio commitment signals another strategic shift from occasional exhibitions to permanent, recurring international markets where the league can build year-round sponsorship, media and merchandising deals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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