The National Football League has revealed the 2024 season schedule, including a Week 1 match between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil.
The game will mark the first-ever NFL contest to take place on the South American continent, as reported by NFL.com. The Week 1 game will occur at Corinthians Arena on September 6 at 7:15 p.m. CT.
“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 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the 2023 December League Meeting in Dallas. “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 and SC Corinthians to deliver a world-class game day experience for this passionate and growing fan base.”
Brazil has more than 38 million fans of American football, with 8.3 million of those considered “avid,” according to a press release. This makes it the second-largest international fan base after Mexico.
“The National Football League’s decision to bring a regular season game to São Paulo is significant and exciting for the city, consolidating São Paulo and Brazil at the center of the global sporting stage,” said Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo, who joined Goodell in Dallas for the announcement. “Through our hard work, we will now be able to welcome the NFL to our city, hosting this historic game that will have a positive impact on tourism, employment and the city’s economy.”
The International series will also return to London for three games and Germany for the third consecutive year.
The first London game will take place in a Week 5 match-up featuring the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings. The teams will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 6 at 8:30 a.m. CT.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is anticipated to be ready to play at the start of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the first game of the 2023 season. The Vikings have moved on from QB Kirk Cousins, who also suffered a torn Achilles last season. The Vikings took quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 draft and also have Sam Darnold on the roster.
The following week, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears will visit London. The Jaguars are the league’s most-traveled team and have appeared in the International series 11 times previously. The Bears have not been overseas since the 2019 season. The Week 6 game will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 13 at 8:30 a.m. CT.
Then, in Week 7, the New England Patriots will face the Jaguars who will play back-to-back games in London. The game will be played at Wembley Stadium on October 20 at 8:30 a.m. CT. This season will be the first for the Patriots without head coach Bill Belichick, who has been replaced by Jerod Mayo.
The New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers will round out the International series in Week 10 with a November 10 game at Munich, Germany’s Allianz Arena. Two games were played in Germany last season but were held in Frankfurt. The Giants have played three overseas games and have a perfect 3-0 record. Kickoff will be at 8:30 a.m. CT.
2024 will mark the second consecutive season that teams will not travel to Mexico. The NFL continues to tinker with its international games with the goal of expanding the sport’s popularity beyond the U.S. The New York Times reported last year that the NFL is considering forming a team in a foreign country or having each team play a game overseas, but no decision has been made.
