Packers will face the Eagles in Brazil's first NFL game ever

Green and yellow united. The Green Bay Packers will be the visiting team in the first ever NFL game in Brazil, the NFL announced on Wednesday. The Packers are going to face the Philadelphia Eagles on the Friday of week 1, September 6, in São Paulo.

"This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said when the game was initially announced. "Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions."

The game will be played at Neo Quimica Arena, in São Paulo. The stadium belongs to Brazilian soccer club Corinthians, and it was one of the hosts of the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

"The league's decision to play the game in the first week of the NFL 2024 season is a true testament to their confidence in our work as host city," said Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo. "Having this historic spectacle on the eve of (Brazilian) Independence Day and driving a great economic impact and job creation for São Paulo, will spotlight our city as a globally relevant destination for the world's most exciting sport and entertainment events."

The NFL has made international games in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Mexico. Canada has received several games in its history, but hasn’t hosted a regular season game since 2013. Japan, Sweden, Ireland, and Australia have already hosted preseason games as well. Since the announcement of Brazil's game, the NFL has also decided it will play a game in Madrid, Spain, in 2025.

Packers international history

The trip to Brazil will be the second regular season game the Green Bay Packers will play outside of the United States in their history. The first one was two years ago, during the 2022 season, when the Packers hosted a game in London, United Kingdom, against the New York Giants.

Green Bay also played three preseason games abroad — 1997, against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto, Canada; 1998, against the Kansas City Chiefs in Tokyo, Japan; and 2019, against the Oakland Raiders in Winnipeg, Canada.

Football growth in Brazil

It was a long journey for Brazil to finally receive an NFL game. Decades of development, learning, and absorbing a sport that was never part of the culture, but that has been more and more popular, culminated in the league's decision to expand their international series to São Paulo in 2024.

"There's a lot of interest in the NFL. I mean, we saw it. We did a Super Bowl viewing party last year down in Brazil," NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said on Adam Schefter's podcast. "It was packed and the energy is there."

There has been two explosions in NFL popularity. One, minor, in the 2000s. And then a big one in the 2010s, making Brazil the third NFL market in the world, just behind the United States and Mexico. The league counts 38 million fans in Brazil.

"Football has been growing significantly here in Brazil, even though it is obviously a country primarily focused on soccer," said Fernando Ferreira, founder of Pluri Consultoria, a Brazilian consulting firm specializing in sports studies, research, and analysis. "This has a direct relationship with the broadcasts that have been happening for quite some time, especially the Super Bowl, which is a global mega-event and becomes very appealing. The broadcasts play a fundamental role in spreading the sport."

According to a survey held locally by the NFL, the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots have the two largest fan bases in the country.

Logistics

It will probably be easier for the Packers to organize the logistics for the trip to Brazil than it was to go to London two years ago. The first reason is the smaller time-zone difference. In September, São Paulo is just two hours ahead of Central Time, while the difference to London was five hours.

Another big factor is how the NFL purposefully scheduled the game on Friday in week 1. The team won't have games in the previous weekend, which is the week between the last preseason game and the regular season, and it will spend the weekend going back to the United States. Presumably, the roster will be back in Green Bay by Monday to start its preparation for week 2.

The problem for the Packers is that Green Bay's airport doesn't support a direct flight to São Paulo, which might force the group to go to Milwaukee by bus.

"We're very supportive of international play," Packers president Mark Murphy said during the NFL Owners' Meeting. "The one issue with Green Bay, though, is the size of our airport and the size of our runway. We want to make sure we're not at a competitive disadvantage in terms of how long it will take us to get to Brazil. There's some thought we might have to bus to Milwaukee and then fly."

Brazil and South America will receive the NFL for the first time ever. It's time for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles to make history.