Update: According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, NFL has voted on São Paulo, Brazil as a host city for a 2024 regular season game.
The NFL has made a concerted effort to expand its reach internationally over the last several years, having played games in London, Frankfurt, and Mexico City. It appears that the league looking to add South America to that list expanding its reach to yet another market of potential football fans.
According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the NFL could award a 2024 regular-season game to Brazil as soon as today. The topic was initially discussed during the league’s owners meeting that are taking place this week in Dallas as the NFL’s international series has been a topic that they have discussed, looking to expand to other nations. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in October that the league could add another international location to the league’s regular-season schedule as soon as 2024 and reportedly sent league officials to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Madrid earlier this year to look at potential venues.
League executive vice president Peter O’Reilly told Schefter that there is a fair amount of NFL interest in Brazil, the league hosting a Super Bowl viewing party there last year with a positive turnout. As far as potential locations for the NFL to host a regular-season game in Brazil, Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo in Sao Paulo could be an ideal location, possessing an official capacity of 77,011 with its most recent renovation taking place back in 2016. Maracanã Stadium is another logical place where the league could host a regular-season game in Rio De Janeiro. The home of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and mainly used for soccer matches, it has a capacity of 78,838 and was last renovated in 2013.
While the NFL dominates the American market, it still has a lot of work to do to catch up to the international recognition other sports, like basketball and soccer, enjoy across the globe. The league has turned its sights to making American football more of an international sport, having hosted draft parties across the globe while extending teams’ marketing rights to other countries, including the Pittsburgh Steelers receiving the rights to Ireland.
As the league continues to grow, its global reach will continue to expand as well. Playing a game in Brazil would further this, opening up another continent to be a part of the NFL regular season while having a new city feel the pride of having an NFL game hosted there.
UPDATE TO ADD NFL PRESS RELEASE:
Brazil to Host First-Ever NFL Regular Season Game in South America in 2024
