The National Football League announced on February 19th that it will be returning to São Paulo, Brazil to host a game during Week One of the 2025-26 regular-season. The league said that the Los Angeles Chargers will be one of the designated teams participating in the game that will take place on September 5th, 2025 at Arena Corinthians.
“After a successful and memorable first game in Brazil in 2024, we are delighted to confirm the league’s return to São Paulo with the Los Angeles Chargers as the designated team in what will be an incredible next chapter in the market,” said Luis Martinez, the general manager of NFL Brazil. “Alongside our partners – SPTuris, Mayor Nunes, and the Corinthians – we will continue to make history together and look forward to delivering an unforgettable experience for passionate fans of the game once again in Brazil.”
Arena Corinthians was the location of the first-ever regular-season game held in Brazil, which took place in Week One this past season. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers in that matchup 34-29.
“We are proud to have held the first game in NFL history in Brazil, here in our city,” said São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes. “The NFL’s return in 2025 demonstrates how prepared São Paulo is for major events and tourists from around the world. With the expansion of our entertainment calendar, we are generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs with each event. Last year, with a single match, we had an economic return of US$60 million and the expectation is to expand even further this year. Not to mention the exponential gain for sectors that serve the visiting public, such as hotels, taxi drivers, app drivers, and the entire hospitality sector.”
The Chargers’ opponent and the start time for the game have not yet been determined. That information will be revealed when the NFL Schedule is released this Spring.
Returning to Brazil is a bad decision for the NFL
I wholeheartedly disagree with Mr. Martinez. I did not consider the Week One matchup between the Eagles and Packers in Brazil “successful.” In fact, I would say that the game was a disaster.
For one thing, numerous players were seen slipping and sliding all over the field. The field conditions were so bad that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts even spoke up about how difficult it was to play in Brazil.
“I mean, y’all saw out there that it was kind of rough to get traction,” Hurts said. “Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on… I’m just happy that we found a way to figure it out as a team, overcome it.”
Former players also chimed in on the issue of the field, with some calling the conditions a safety issue.
“That field is in horrible shape. Most international grass fields are super slippery, but this is a safety issue for the players,” wrote former Eagles quarterback Chase Daniel in a social media post. “Before every game, the player union rep for each team usually checks out the field… I’m surprised we didn’t hear more about this.”
Even LeBron James noticed this problem, taking to social media to say, “Man, this field sucks.”
Current players also expressed concerns over bringing their families to Brazil. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. discussed some of the safety issues surrounding the game before it was even played.
“Week One. I am looking forward to it. I can’t wait, but man, I do not want to go to Brazil,” Slay said on an episode of the Big Play Slay podcast. “They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much because the crime rate is crazy! I’m like, ‘NFL, why would y’all want to send us somewhere with a crime rate this high?’ I told my family do not come down there.”
I understand why the league is playing another game in Brazil. The country has over 36 million NFL fans, making it the league’s second-largest international market after Mexico. But is the NFL just ignoring the pushback and sentiments of current players, former players, and stars from other sports leagues? I guess so!
I truly hope that Arena Corinthians can figure out its field issues before the 2025 game is played. It would be absolutely disastrous for the NFL if the Chargers lost a key player to an injury brought on by bad field conditions.
