Eagles to Host First NFL Game in Brazil in 2024; Steelers a Potential Opponent

The Philadelphia Eagles are hosting a game in Brazil in 2024, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Monday, opening up the possibility that the Pittsburgh Steelers could play internationally next season.

The NFL had previously announced the home teams for the games in London, England and in Germany next season. The Steelers do not play any of those teams in 2024, but they do play the Eagles, and the Eagles playing the first NFL game ever to be played in Brazil means there’s a chance the Steelers could be joining them.

The Eagles are one of nine road opponents for the Steelers in 2024, along with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts. The road teams and full matchups for the international games are released later in the offseason, but before the balance of the schedule comes out in May.

The NFL announced in December its intention to play its first game anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere in Brazil in 2024. The game will be played in São Paulo, Brazil, at Arena Corinthians, the home of the soccer club SC Corinthians. The game will be played on Friday, Sept. 6, on the second day of the 2024 NFL season. The partially enclosed stadium seats 49,205, though it was expanded to over 68,000 during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The stadium also hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2019 Copa Amйrica.

“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,” Goodell said in a press release. “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 Corinthians Arena to deliver a world-class game day experience for this passionate and growing fan base.”

Brazil is considered an important potential future market for the NFL, with 38 million fans, according to NFL metrics, which makes it the second-largest international audience, behind Mexico.

Beyond Brazil, the NFL will have games in London, England and Munich, Germany in 2024. The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars will host games in London and the Carolina Panthers will host the game in Munich.

The NFL has been playing in London annually since 2007, and the Jaguars have their own deal to play home games at Wembley Stadium in that city. The Jaguars will play their 12th game in London this coming season. In addition to the Jaguars at Wembley, the Bears and Vikings will host games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they league has been playing annually since 2019.

The NFL will return to Germany and Munich specifically in 2024 after first playing in that country in 2022. Allianz Arena in Munich hosted that first German contest in 2022 and will again be utilized this coming year. Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt hosted two games in 2023.

For the second straight year, the NFL will not play a game in Mexico due to renovations at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The league hopes to return to that venue in 2025, and the Steelers could very well be a part of that return.

The Steelers have international agreements in Mexico and Ireland and have not yet hosted an international game under the new league rules that require a team to do so — and give up a home game — once every eight years. The Steelers have played one regular season game internationally, losing 34-27 to the Minnesota Vikings at Wembley Stadium in London in 2013.

The Steelers have also expressed a desire to play a game in Ireland at some point in the future.

With the Steelers seemingly a favorite to play in Mexico in 2025 and having a desire to play in Ireland as well, it’s hard to imagine the league sending them to Brazil in 2024, but there are only so many potential opponents, and the NFL has not traditionally forced divisional games to be played internationally.