NFL Announces Future Games in Rio de Janeiro

The National Football League will play a minimum of three regular season games over five years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, starting in 2026. The announcement comes after two years of the league staging games in São Paulo, and marks the latest international expansion for the league.

“Building on the success of the games in São Paulo, we could not be more excited to play in one of the world’s most iconic cities — Rio de Janeiro,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to working closely with our city and state partners in Rio along with the historic Maracanã Stadium to deepen our ties to the tens of millions of fans in Brazil and across South America.”

The NFL’s two previous games in Brazil featured the Packers and Eagles in 2024, and the Chiefs and Chargers at the beginning of the 2025 season. The 2025 NFL São Paulo game attracted 47,627 fans at Corinthians Arena on September 5.
“The National Football League’s multiyear partnership with Rio, a vibrant city where people want to be, is a perfect match,” said Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes. “It will be a historic event, as NFL games will be included on our city’s official calendar. I’m looking forward to seeing an American football game at Maracanã, the most iconic temple of world football.”

In addition to regular season games, the league said it intends to grow the game at every level in Brazil through partners, programs and initiatives, including NFL Flag and community events.

International Expansion

The move to Rio is the latest effort by the league to expand its international footptint. To date, the league has played 56 regular-season games outside of the United States, including this past weekend’s game between the Steelers and Vikings in Dublin, Ireland. Other host cities have been Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Munich and Toronto hosting games to date. In addition to the Dublin game, this season’s games will be played in London, Berlin and Madrid.

In 2026, Melbourne, Australia, will also host for the first time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first time the NFL has played in Australia.