The National Football League (NFL) has announced a regular season game will be played in the Brazilian city of São Paulo in 2024, making South America the fifth continent to host a match.
Confirmed:
- São Paulo was chosen ahead of the Spanish capital of Madrid
- The game will be played at Corinthians Arena
- NFL will play five games overseas in 2024, with Munich and São Paulo hosting one each and London staging the other three
- League also voted to increase the number of international games from four to up to eight matches starting in 2025
Context:
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had confirmed last month that the league intended to play in a new country next year, with Brazil and Spain positioned as favourites to land the game.
The league said that there are 38 million NFL fans in Brazil, and cited a strong social media presence in the South American country as key factors in its decision. In addition, it has given the Miami Dolphins home marketing rights in Brazil, which allows the team to broker market-specific sponsorships and set up fan clubs.
Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president of club business, international and league events for the NFL, has said since that Madrid will remain a contender for a regular season game in 2025. According to ESPN, that the league hopes to stage annual games in Germany and Mexico, with O’Reilly saying the incoming increase in games provides “optionality” with overseas markets.
Comment:
“Bringing the NFL to new continents, countries and cities around the world is a critical element of our plan to continue to grow the game globally,” said Goodell. “Brazil has established itself as a key market for the NFL, and we are excited to be playing in Brazil and São Paulo for the first time in 2024.
”We look forward to working with the city of São Paulo, SP Turis and Corinthians Arena to deliver a world-class game day experience for this passionate and growing fan base.”
Coming next:
The league will announce teams, dates and kick-off times for the 2024 international games early next year.
Meanwhile, the league also approved Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium as the host of Super Bowl LXI in 2027.
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