NFL Reveals Team Set to Play in Brazil for 2025 Season Opener

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Lachance | Last updated Feb 19, 2025 4:14 PM ET

The NFL on Wednesday announced that it is returning to Brazil to open the 2025 season.

This game, which will be hosted in Arena Corinthians in São Paulo on Sep. 5, is part of the league's 2025 International Games slate, which includes fixtures in London, Berlin, Madrid, and Dublin.

The Los Angeles Chargers will be seeing action for their first international game since 2019, when they played the Kansas City Chiefs in Mexico. They will find out their opponent when the full 2025 NFL schedule releases in the spring.

The stadium, which is also home of Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians, also played host to the memorable 2024 Eagles-Packers matchup that marked the league’s first ever appearance in South America. Saquon Barkley made his Philadelphia debut in that game, scoring 3 touchdowns to help his new team emerge victorious over Green Bay, 34-29.

The NFL is keen on capitalizing off the success of the 2024 regular season opener and continuing its push of making American football a global sport. That push for global domination has already achieved dramatic success in Brazil, with a whopping 36 million supporters, according to the league, with Mexico being the only country outside of the U.S. with more fans of the NFL.

São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes expressed excitement over hosting another regular-season matchup as the city had an economic return of $60 million the first time around. That number is, of course, expected to increase this year.

"We are proud to have held the first game in NFL history in Brazil, here in our city," Nunes said in the statement. "The NFL's return in 2025 demonstrates how prepared São Paulo is for major events and tourists from around the world."

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

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