The Dallas Cowboys are saddling up for the first-ever NFL game in Rio de Janeiro later this year, the NFL announced Thursday.
The league will kick off its multiyear commitment to bring regular-season games to Rio starting with the 2026 season, an engagement set to include three games over five years. It will mark the first international game for the Cowboys since they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in London over a decade ago. Games will be held in Maracaña Stadium, though the date, time, and the Cowboys’ opponent have yet to be announced.
“Introducing one of the league’s most iconic teams to the Maracaña Stadium marks a powerful milestone in the continued growth of the sport worldwide,” said Luis Martinez, general manager of NFL Brazil. “Bringing a regular season game to Rio strengthens our connection to a vibrant and passionate football community and underscores our long-term commitment to the market.”
The game is one of a record nine international games scheduled for the 2026 season, which will take place across four continents in seven countries. The NFL has already established a presence in Brazil, offshoring games to São Paolo in 2024 and 2025 that successfully drew large crowds of international fans.
“It will be a historic event, as NFL games will be included on our city’s official calendar,” Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, said when the league announced its intent to play in the city. “I’m looking forward to seeing an American football game at Maracanã, the most iconic temple of world football.”
It will be the first time an American football game is played in what is typically the home pitch of several of Brazil’s soccer clubs, including Rio’s wildly popular and historic Fluminense and Flamengo teams.
With a seating capacity of nearly 79,000, Maracaña Stadium rivals the Cowboys’ volume of 80,000 seats at AT&T Stadium. But Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been adamant that he didn’t want to give up home games to play overseas — as recently as December, Jones said he was “very reluctant” to do so. As the world’s most valuable sports franchise, there’s too much money to be made off games at AT&T Stadium.
“We’ve got a lot of fans. It might fit for a lot of clubs. It doesn’t fit for the Cowboys as much,” Jones said a year before the NFL announced its slate of games in Rio. “We’ve got the highest attendance in the NFL.”
Jones’ preference was to play in Mexico City because of the large number of Cowboys fans in Mexico.
Though the Cowboys’ opponent for the Brazil game is unknown at this time, it will likely be a non-NFC East road opponent, making the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans or Jaguars the most likely contenders.
Dallas had arguably the NFL’s worst defense this season and needs plenty of retooling to make that side of the ball competitive in 2026. On the other hand, the Cowboys should again have one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses, which could make for a flashy international show.