The NFL confirmed Wednesday that a to-be-announced regular-season game will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil in 2024. The designated “home” team for that game is expected to be announced in January.
The NFL’s Global Markets Program (formerly called International Home Market Areas) might provide clues as to who will “host” that game.
There are 14 countries in the program and most of them have multiple teams designated to them. Brazil has just one designated team: the Miami Dolphins.
Back when the program was announced in 2021 as IHMA, the NFL said: “The league will use its best efforts to ensure clubs play their international games in their international HMAs, where possible.”
So that doesn’t mean teams will exclusively play international games in their designated market, but when possible, they will. Given that the Brazil market was awarded to Miami, the Dolphins might be a strong candidate to “host” the South America game in 2024.
Miami just played an international game in Germany earlier this year, so that might make a trip to Brazil in 2024 less likely, but the league will begin playing up to eight international games per season in 2025. Once that happens, half the league will play an international game every year. So playing outside the U.S. frequently could become the norm soon.
Miami is also one of the league’s most willing teams to play internationally (only the Jacksonville Jaguars have played more games outside the USA). Last year, Peter King of NBC Sports wrote that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross “may push for a game in Brazil or Spain as early as 2024.”
Earlier this month, John Sutcliffe of ESPN Deportes reported that the Brazil game could be played in Week 1, and he also named the Dolphins as a potential candidate to feature in the game.
Dolphins 2024 opener in Brazil a possibility, according to ESPN Deportes’ John Sutcliffe.pic.twitter.com/oWuFGSrqLj
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) December 5, 2023
For now, Miami playing in Brazil next season is just a possibility. Based on the language of the league’s Global Markets Program, though, Dolphins fans should probably be following NFL’s upcoming international announcements. We’ll find out more in January.
