The NFL will play a regular season game in Brazil in 2024 – the first in South America – as the league continues to emphasize global growth as a major strategic priority.
The historic first game in Brazil will take place in São Paulo at the Arena Corinthians, home to the Brazilian soccer team the SC Corinthians. The stadium was the official venue for both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. With the game in South America, the NFL will have played a game (preseason or regular season) in five of the seven continents.
The announcement was made by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the 2023 December League Meeting in Dallas.
“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 Goodell. “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, SP Turis and Arena Corinthians to deliver a world-class gameday experience for this passionate and growing fan base.”
The game in São Paulo will be one of five regular season games to be played internationally in 2024. Three games will be played in London: two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the third a Jacksonville Jaguars home game at Wembley Stadium as part of their partnership. The fifth game will have the NFL back in Germany for a third consecutive year, returning to Allianz Arena in Munich.
Brazil is an important global market for the NFL, with more than 38 million fans of the game (8.3 million of those being ‘avid’ fans), the second-largest international fan base after Mexico.
Ricardo Nunes, the mayor of São Paulo, joined Commissioner Goodell in Dallas for the announcement.
“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 Nunes. “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.”
Designated teams for the 2024 NFL International Games will be announced in early 2024. Details regarding the dates of games, matchups and kickoff times will be confirmed later in the year when the full 2024 schedule is announced.
NFL FLAG programming was launched in Brazil in 2023 in partnership with the Brazilian American Football Confederation (CBFA) to grow flag football at the grassroots and elite level, following the announcement of flag football’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
For more information about the 2024 São Paulo game and to register interest for ticket purchases, visit here.
Source link : https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/brazil-to-host-first-ever-nfl-regular-season-game-in-south-america-in-2024/
Author :
Publish date : 2023-12-13 03:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.