NFL announces multiyear deal to play games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hopefully Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and other stars from Week 1’s Chiefs-Chargers game brushed up on their Portuguese. It could come in handy over the next few years.

The NFL announced today it has agreed on a multiyear deal to play at least three regular season games over the next five years in Rio de Janeiro starting in 2026.

NFL action first came to Brazil in 2024 when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers played their Week 1 game in São Paulo. The Chiefs and Chargers did the same this year. Now, the NFL has its sights set on a city that has hosted world-class athletic events.

“Building on the success of the games in São Paulo, we could not be more excited to play in one of the world’s most iconic cities — Rio de Janeiro,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with our city and state partners in Rio along with the historic Maracanã Stadium to deepen our ties to the tens of millions of fans in Brazil and across South America.”

The Maracanã Stadium opened in 1950 to be used as a host site for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was also used during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

“The National Football League’s multiyear partnership with Rio, a vibrant city where people want to be, is a perfect match,” Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes said in the announcement. “It will be a historic event, as NFL games will be included on our city’s official calendar. I’m looking forward to seeing an American football game at Maracanã, the most iconic temple of world football.”

League officials say Brazil has more than 36 million NFL fans, making this a welcome event in the country of 212 million.

“Brazil is now the second-largest consumer of American football outside the United States, and thousands of tourists and sports fans have dreamed of experiencing this event at the world’s most famous stadium,” Cláudio Castro, governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, said in the announcement. “Bringing the NFL to Rio is a milestone that will boost tourism, create jobs, stimulate the economy, and show the strength of our state as an international sports destination.”

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