ALABAMA - For the first time ever, the National Football League will be playing a regular season game in South America: the Philadelphia Eagles have been designated as the home team for a match that will take place in Brazil, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced on a press conference just a few days before Super Bowl LVIII.
"We are incredibly excited. We are going to do it during our kickoff weekend, which is a kind of unusual approach to the things we have done in the past," said Goodell during the event.
The new NFL season will kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 5 with the Eagles hosting their initial game in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6 against an opponent that will be revealed before the full 2024 regular-season schedule is released in the spring.
Everything the NFL does is a calculated move, and this announcement proves to be another example. Brazil celebrates its national Independence Day on Sept. 7, so Goodell and São Paulo authorities will try to maximize the hype produced by game and leave a great economic impact in the region.
"Having this historic spectacle on the eve of Independence Day and driving a great economic impact and job creation for São Paulo will spotlight our city as a globally relevant destination for the world's most exciting sport and entertainment events," said Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo.
This will be the first time that the NFL plays a game on opening weekend on Friday night in over 50 years, the last time taking place when the then St. Louis Cardinals traveled to Los Angeles to face the Rams in 1970.
"This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint," Goodell said in a press release. "Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions."
Arena Corinthians will be the venue of the first NFL game in South America. The stadium, home of one of the biggest soccer clubs in Brazil, has been host to a lot of other notable events, including six matches during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Although the Eagles' opponents are yet to be announced, we know which other teams will take part on this year's international games. The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers were the other teams selected as the designated teams for the 2024 International Games, with the Bears, Vikings and Jaguars hosting games in London, while the Panthers are the designated team for Munich.
With the NFL expanding its catalogue of international games to other parts of the world, we can expect them to also increase the amount of games played outside of the United States. Following a recent vote by NFL teams to increase league-operated international game inventory, the NFL will have the right to schedule up to eight regular season games internationally as of 2025.
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