The NFL is heading to a new country this fall. This week, the league announced the Philadelphia Eagles will play as the designated team in the first-ever regular season game in Brazil as part of the International Games for 2024. The game will be played on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, the first time the NFL has played a game on Friday night of its opening weekend in over 50 years.
The host stadium will be Corinthians Arena in São Paulo. The stadium is home to the soccer team SC Corinthians and was the official venue for both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. The NFL will announce the Eagles’ opponent at a later date along with the kickoff time.
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“This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions.”
“The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America,” Jeffrey Lurie, Eagles chairman and chief executive officer, said. “With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. As one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant and welcoming environment later this year.”
The Brazil game will be one of the NFL’s five International Games for 2024. Three games will be played in London and one will be played in Germany along with the contest in Brazil. In 2023, NFL teams voted to increase league-operated game inventory from four to up to eight games a season beginning in 2025.
The Eagles are coming off a 2023 season where they finished 11-6 in the regular season and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. In 2022, the Eagles reached the Super Bowl but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.