Here’s what we know: The Dallas Cowboys will play an international game in the 2026 NFL season for the first time since 2014, as they’ll be the first team ever to host an NFL regular season game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

What we don’t know is who will line up across from them. And though there are many potential choices, I believe there’s a good chance the Cowboys wind up facing a division rival. I’ll tell you why.

Cowboys could face an NFC East rival

I seriously think a strong candidate to play the Cowboys abroad is none other than the Philadelphia Eagles.

You see, a lot of people immediately think divisional showdowns are out of the question for international games. They’re not. The NFL just announced the San Francisco 49ers would face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. It has nothing to do with location, either. Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers played each other in Brazil.

Even if it’s logical for teams to prefer not to lose out on home field advantage for a divisional game, the league has the power to schedule one. And that’s not the only reason why the Eagles make sense.

The Eagles are one of four NFL teams with Brazil as part of their “Global Markets Program,” which awards clubs marketing rights. Though not a requirement to play in a country, the league has shown it prefers to do so when possible. For instance, the Eagles were the designated home team in Sao Paulo in 2024. Among the Cowboys’ 2026 opponents, Philadelphia is the only team on the with rights to market its club in Brazil.

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Cowboys could veto Eagles matchup

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explained last year that teams don’t get to choose if they give up a home game for an international game, even if they can volunteer to do so. However, designated home teams can veto one visiting team. Jones cited the Cowboys being a big draw as the reason why Dallas is often vetoed, which helps explain why they haven’t played abroad since 2014.

With how tight the NFC East usually is, vetoing Philly could make sense for the Cowboys. It’s too big of a game to lose home field advantage. However, there are many factors at play, and who knows if the Jones-led front office prefers to veto a different matchup.

Other candidates for Brazil game

Below are the rest of the Cowboys’ 2026 home opponents, which are eligible to be Dallas’ rival in Rio:

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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.