The NFL Could Be Coming Back to This City in Brazil
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, said this Saturday that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, might get a regular-season game soon, following the success of last September's game in São Paulo between the Eagles and the Packers.
"Brazil was a big step for us because we had never played in South America before. That was a huge milestone. We’re always looking at other markets and cities, and even in Brazil, we could head to Rio instead of São Paulo,” Goodell said.
On September 6th, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 at São Paulo’s Arena Corinthians during Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. It was the first-ever NFL game played in South America. The commissioner made these comments at an event in London, ahead of this Sunday’s Week 6 matchup between the Jaguars and the Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—the second of three games the city will host this season.
Goodell emphasized the importance of taking NFL games to different countries, which will happen again in 2025 when Madrid hosts its first regular-season game. "Germany is doing an amazing job, but we’re looking at other places too. We’ll be in Madrid next year, and I have no doubt we’ll play in Ireland as well. I know the Steelers really want to go there. I’m not sure if it'll be next year, but it’s coming soon,” said the commissioner.
Goodell also explained that in the medium term, if the NFL expands the season to 18 games, they could play up to 16 of them internationally, almost one every week, outside the U.S. “If we expand the regular season to an 18-game structure, I could see 16 of those games being played in international markets,” he added.
While it’s still a bit of a stretch, the commissioner didn’t rule out the possibility of a Super Bowl being played outside the U.S. one day. "Traditionally, we've always tried to play the Super Bowl in an NFL city. It’s kind of a reward for the cities with NFL franchises, but things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens someday,” Goodell concluded.