NFL to stage games in Rio de Janeiro from 2026 | OneFootball

It’s official! The NFL announced this Friday that a regular season game will be held in Rio de Janeiro, at Maracanã Stadium, in 2026. After the success of the two games in São Paulo, at Neo Química Arena, the organization decided to sign an agreement for matches on Rio soil.

The agreement includes the provision for at least three games at the stadium over the next five years, starting in 2026. The first of these, as anticipated by the NFL, will already take place next year. The American league has not confirmed whether there will still be games held in São Paulo.

“Perfect Match”

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, celebrated the partnership, calling it a “perfect match.”

“The NFL’s many years of partnership with Rio is the perfect match. It will be a historic event to have NFL games on our city’s official calendar. I am very excited to see an American football game at Maracanã, the most iconic stadium in world football,” said the mayor.

“Building on the success of the games in São Paulo, we couldn’t be more excited to play in one of the world’s most iconic cities, Rio de Janeiro. We are very much looking forward to working closely with our partners at the historic Maracanã, deepening our ties with tens of millions of fans in Brazil and throughout South America,” said Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner.

Photo: Publicity / NFL

Success in São Paulo

The NFL has already held two games in Brazil, both in São Paulo, at Neo Química Arena, the stadium of Corinthians. The first, in 2024, was the league’s first game in the southern hemisphere. On that occasion, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 34 to 29.

More recently, on September 5, the Kansas City Chiefs were defeated 27 to 21 by the Los Angeles Chargers. The game was a success, drawing 47,627 people to Corinthians’ home stadium.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.