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The Baltimore Ravens have been selected to play the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL’s opening game in Rio de Janeiro this season, the league announced Friday night during the draft.
The match on September 27 will be played at the Maracanã Stadium. CBS and Paramount+ will broadcast the game in the late afternoon.
“We are honored to be selected for the NFL’s first ever game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a release. “The international expansion of our great game has been remarkable. South America is home to some of the world’s most passionate sports fans, including our Ravens Flock in Brazil. We look forward to playing at the iconic Maracanã Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys as our league continues to engage with fans around the globe.”
The Cowboys had previously been announced as one of the participants in the game.
“Playing at the legendary Maracanã Stadium against the Ravens in front of such a passionate and growing fan base on a global stage will be very special for our team, our entire Cowboys organization and the millions watching at home and around the world,” said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
The NFL previously made a multi-year commitment to bring at least three regular season games to Rio de Janeiro over the next five years. The NFL has previously played two games in Brazil — Packers-Eagles in 2024 and Chiefs-Chargers in 2025 at São Paulo’s Corinthians Arena — but this will be the first in Rio.
The 2026 Rio Games are part of a record nine international competitions to be played over the coming season, across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.
The others include three matches in London (two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley Stadium), and one each at Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium, Melbourne’s Cricket Ground, Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte, Munich’s FC Bayern München Stadium and Paris’ Stade de France.
Report from the Associated Press.
