‘Futebol americano’ returning to Brazil

With two of the NFL’s 2025 International Games in the books, including the Week 1 showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs in São Paulo, Brazil, the National Football League has announced a multiyear commitment to play a minimum of three regular-season games over five years in Rio de Janeiro beginning in 2026.

“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,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “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 estimates more than 36 million Brazilians follow the sport of “futebol americano” across the country.

“The National Football League's multiyear partnership with Rio, a vibrant city where people want to be, is a perfect match,” said Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro. “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.”

Cláudio Castro, governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, noted that Brazil has become the second-largest consumer of American football outside the United States.

“Thousands of tourists and sports fans have dreamed of experiencing this event at the world's most famous stadium,” he said.

Fifty-six regular-season NFL games have been played internationally throughout the league’s history, with Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Munich, São Paulo and Toronto hosting games to date. 

In 2026, Melbourne, Australia, will stage a game for the first time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the league’s inaugural regular-season game on the continent. The participating teams, along with game date and kickoff time, have not been announced.