The Dallas Cowboys will be one of the teams participating in the first NFL (National Football League) match to be held at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the league announced on Thursday (5).
The Cowboys, whose opponent for this matchup has not yet been defined, remain one of the NFL’s most popular franchises, despite the last of their five titles dating back to 1996.
This season, which ends on Sunday with the Super Bowl between the Patriots and Seahawks, the Cowboys have failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second year in a row.
The match in Rio de Janeiro, the date of which will be announced at a later date, is part of a record nine international matches next season in the most popular and powerful league in the United States.
Brazil is considered the NFL’s second largest market outside the United States, after Mexico, with around 36 million fans, and has already hosted two games in São Paulo.
The first game, in 2024, was attended by the Philadelphia Eagles, who later won the Super Bowl that same season. The second game, in September 2025, featured the Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Starting this year, an agreement between the NFL and Rio de Janeiro authorities comes into force to hold three regular season games in the city over the next five years.
Maracanã, the largest stadium in Brazil, with a capacity for approximately 74 thousand spectators, is one of the most iconic football stadiums in the world and home to the Flamengo and Fluminense teams.
Also on Thursday, the NFL announced that the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams in the first ever game in Australia, which will be played later this year in the city of Melbourne.
