Touchdown on Maraca! NFL confirms games in the stadium from 2026

The NFL will invade the Maracanã in 2026! And no, you're not dreaming, it's real!

The NFL announced on Friday (26) a multi-annual agreement that will guarantee, from 2026 at least three regular season games in iconic Maracanã Stadium. It will be the first time the stadium, the maximum symbol of Brazilian football, will receive an official football match.

The initiative is part of the league's international expansion plan, which seeks to bring sport to new audiences and markets around the world. The choice of Maracanã reinforces the growth of the Brazilian fan base, currently estimated at over 36 million people, according to Globo Esporte (GE).

According to the GE, to date, the NFL has already carried out 56 regular season international games, based in cities such as Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Munich, São Paulo and Toronto. In 2025, four other cities entered the international route: Dublin, Berlin, Madrid and again London. Already in 2026, it will be Melbourne's turn in Australia to receive its first NFL game, marking the league's debut on the continent of Oceania.

Brazil has already received two official games NFL:

In 2024, São Paulo was the scene of the confrontation between Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.

On the day 5 September 2025, Corinthians stadium hosted the duel between Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. The match, won by the Chargers by 27 to 21, counted on an audience of 47.627 fans, another proof of the potential and passion of the brazilian public for sport.

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