The National Football League is putting the finishing touches on its regular season in 2023 with TV ratings soaring and the game more popular than ever. With Football becoming more beloved worldwide, there’s now reportedly a chance the 2024 NFL season will kick off outside the United States.
The NFL originally launched its international series intending to make American football more popular globally. Since launching the NFL International Series in 2007 with a matchup between the Miami Dolphins vs New York Giants in London, England, regular-season football games have been played in various spots across the world.
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The NFL has now taken its product to Germany, London and Mexico, with aspirations to expand its global reach even further. After owners approved a game in Brazil for the 2024 season, it appears league officials are considering doing something unprecedented.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the 2024 NFL season could reportedly kick off with one of the early Week 1 games held in Sao Paulo, Brazil at Arena Corinthians.
While an official date for the first NFL game in Brazil hasn’t been set yet, King reports that the NFL is considering the Sao Paulo game being played in Week 1. King specifically notes that it’s possible the NFL Kickoff Game would be a doubleheader on Thursday, Sept. 5 with one game being played in the United States and the other held in Brazil.
Another alternative, per King, would be for the game played in Brazil to be played on the night of Friday, Sept. 6, or Saturday, Sept. 7 to give it a standalone spot on primetime television.
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As far as what team would play in Brazil, the Miami Dolphins are the obvious choice as they are tied to Brazil through the NFL’s International Home Marketing Areas Initiative. Regarding the potential opponent, King writes that it would likely be an NFC team.
An official decision on when the Brazil game will be played during the 2024 NFL season won’t come until next spring, just before the NFL schedule is released. However, the fact that it’s being reported now by one of the league’s most plugged-in reporters suggests it’s likely to become a reality.