The Philadelphia Eagles will play at Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians in Brazil on the opening weekend of the 2024 NFL season, marking the first game to be played on a Friday of Week One in over 50 years; the league will stage five international games next season, including London and Munich
Tuesday 6 February 2024 09:38, UK
The Philadelphia Eagles will host the first-ever regular season game in Brazil on kickoff weekend of the 2024 NFL season, Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Monday.
Jalen Hurts' Eagles will open their campaign at Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians on Friday September 6 as one of five international games to be played next season.
Brazil was recently confirmed as the league's newest international territory alongside the UK, Germany and Mexico, with Madrid in Spain having also been a candidate to host an overseas game.
It will mark the first time the NFL has played a game on the Friday night of Week One since the Cardinals visited the Rams on September 18, 1970.
"You mentioned Brazil. Brazil is new for us this year. We are incredibly excited," Goodell told Sky Sports NFL's Neil Reynolds.
"We're going to do it on our kickoff weekend, which is an unusual approach and different than we've ever done. We're actually going to play it on Friday night of our kickoff weekend. So we'll have Thursday night as our kickoff game. Friday night we'll come back from Brazil and Sao Paulo.
"The Philadelphia Eagles will be the host team in Sao Paulo. And then we'll come back with Sunday night and Monday night and obviously a great, great group of games on Sunday afternoon.
"We think this is giving us an ability to access more fans, not just here in the States, but on a global basis. And I think it's going to be a huge hit. We're excited."
The Eagles will feature as part of an international slate that will see the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings host games in London, while the Carolina Panthers play in Munich, Germany.
Team owners recently voted in favour of increasing the number of international games played from four to up to eight a season beginning in 2025, not including the Jaguars' current deal with Wembley Stadium.
"The Eagles organisation is honoured to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America," said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles chairman and chief executive officer.
"With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. As one of the world's most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant and welcoming environment later this year."
Brazil represents the league's third-largest market outside the United States and Mexico, with Arena Corinthians holding a 50,000 capacity.
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