City of Rio de Janeiro News & Rumors

Sunday marked the NFL’s first ever regular season game in Dublin. It could easily be followed up by future visits to the Irish capital along with a number of other international games.

Expanding the league’s global reach has been a clear priority for several years now, and in the spring commissioner Roger Goodell stated his intention of seeing 16 international games become an annual feature of the schedule. Goodell recently confirmed (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) that remains the case, with the goal being one overseas contest per team per year.

“In today’s world, we have to be global,” Goodell said (via Pryor). “Every time we play an international game, fans say they want more. I really, truly believe our game can and will be global. Our job is to share our game with the rest of the world.”

Dating back to 2007, the NFL has staged dozens of regular season games outside the United States with the majority taking place in Europe. Each of the past two seasons have included contests taking place in Brazil as well, however. São Paulo has played host to a pair of contests, but it became clear earlier this month the NFL was interested in trying Rio de Janeiro as a host city. The league has since announced (via NFL.com) Rio will indeed become the site for games beginning in 2026.

Over the next five years, no fewer than three NFL games will be played at the Maracanã Stadium. The iconic venue has a capacity of over 70,000 and has played host to a pair of FIFA World Cup finals along with the 2016 Summer Olympics. It would come as little surprise if a second long-term agreement were to be reached provided this upcoming trial phase proves to be successful.

The NFL is making inroads into Berlin and Madrid with games taking place there this season in addition to familiar host cities such as London and Munich. 2026 will also see Melbourne join the list of NFL sites with the Rams operating as the designated home team for the NFL’s first game in Australia. Goodell noted that over the long term, expanding into Asia will likely be the league’s next step.

Even if that proves to be several years away, a long list of host cities will exist in the near term for the NFL. With the regular season still widely expected to reach 18 games relatively soon, the league’s calendar could very well feature one annual international contest for each of its teams in short order.

The second game of the 2025 regular season took place in São Paulo, with the Chiefs-Chargers contest marking the second straight year in which an NFL game was played in Brazil. The league intends to continue that trend in 2026, but another city is being targeted.

The NFL is expected to play a game in Rio de Janeiro next year, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. Each of the league’s first two Brazil contests took place at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, a venue which has a capacity of under 50,000. Playing at the legendary Maracanã Stadium in Rio would represent a notable contrast.

The Maracanã has a capacity above 70,000, and it has hosted a pair of FIFA World Cup finals along with the 2016 Summer Olympics. Jones notes the NFL has long shown interest in staging games in Rio, so it would come as no surprise if that were to take place next fall. A mutual interest is known to exist for a long-term arrangement in Brazil, and discussions have taken place about multiple games per year taking place in the country.

Brazil has long been one of the NFL’s largest international markets. As such, expanding the league’s presence there would be logical given the major investment made in global outreach over recent years. The CBA allows for as many as eight international regular season games per year, and seven will take place over the course of the 2025 season.

Next year, Melbourne will host a game with the Rams operating as the designated home team for the NFL’s first contest in Australia. The 2026 season is also likely to include at least one Brazil game, and it could very well take place in Rio.