NFL Announces Multiyear Games in Rio de Janeiro
The NFL has confirmed that Rio de Janeiro will join the league’s international series. Starting in 2026, Maracanã Stadium is set to host regular season games as part of the NFL’s continued global expansion.
The National Football League announced a multiyear commitment to play a minimum of three regular season games over five years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil beginning in 2026, as the NFL prioritizes global expansion and takes its international games to new cities around the world.
With more than 36 million NFL fans across the country, the league will again return to Brazil to play its first regular season game in Rio at Maracanã Stadium.
“Building on the success of the games in São Paulo, we could not be more excited to play in one of the world’s most iconic cities — Rio de Janeiro,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to working closely with our city and state partners in Rio along with the historic Maracanã Stadium to deepen our ties to the tens of millions of fans in Brazil and across South America.”
“The National Football League's multiyear partnership with Rio, a vibrant city where people want to be, is a perfect match,” said Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes. “It will be a historic event, as NFL games will be included on our city's official calendar. I'm looking forward to seeing an American football game at Maracanã, the most iconic temple of world football.”
The NFL is expanding its portfolio of venues in 2025, adding three new stadiums: the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Croke Park in Dublin and the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. stadiaworld compares the NFL debutants.
“We are delighted to announce that Maracanã Stadium will host a regular-season NFL game next year in Rio de Janeiro,” said Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro Cláudio Castro. “Brazil is now the second-largest consumer of American football outside the United States, and thousands of tourists and sports fans have dreamed of experiencing this event at the world's most famous stadium. Bringing the NFL to Rio is a milestone that will boost tourism, create jobs, stimulate the economy, and show the strength of our state as an international sports destination.”
Fifty-six regular season NFL games have been played internationally throughout the league’s history, with Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Munich, São Paulo and Toronto hosting games to date. As part of the 2025 International Games and following the game in São Paulo, Dublin, London, Berlin and Madrid are set to host games in the coming weeks.
The playing teams, along with the game date and kick-off time in Rio de Janeiro in 2026, will be announced at a later date. (stadiaworld, 02.10.2025)
