Follow today’s live coverage of the NFL Brazil game Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers

Brazil is set to host its first NFL game when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers on Friday night.

Having hosted the Men’s World Cup (2014) and the Olympic Games (2016), the South American country is no stranger to major sporting events over the past decade.

“It’s a great opportunity to play the first-ever NFL game here,” Packers quarterback Jordan Love said, according to packers.com. “I know there are a lot of fans here. It’s great to be here live in front of you. I’m very excited. We said it the other day – this is the Brazilian Super Bowl here, so we’re going to make it a great game for you guys.”

So where did the NFL decide to play the game later today? Why did it choose this venue? And why was the traditional green of the Eagles’ and Packers’ jerseys a problem at the chosen stadium?

Where is the stadium for the Eagles-Packers game?

The Corinthians Arena, also called Neo Quimica Arena due to a sponsorship deal with the Brazilian pharmaceutical company, is located in the city of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil. Sao Paulo is the most populous city in the country with over 11 million inhabitants – the most people in the world outside of Asia.

As the name suggests, it is normally the home of the men’s team of the Corinthians football club. Their men’s team plays in the highest Brazilian league, Serie A.

Corinthians playing in the arena (Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)

The Eagles are the home team for this game, but the game is over 4,500 miles (7,500 km) away from their usual stadium, Lincoln Financial Field.

When was the Corinthians Arena built and how many people can it accommodate?

It was built for the 2014 World Cup and took three years to build. It hosted the opening match of the tournament, in which hosts Brazil beat Croatia 3-1, as well as five other matches. After the World Cup, the stadium became home to Corinthians, whose men’s team has since won two league titles. However, this season they are battling against relegation and are 17th in the 20-team table with 13 games left to play.

The stadium also hosted football at the 2016 Olympic Games, where Neymar led the host nation’s men’s team to a gold medal.

In Brazil’s bid to host For the 2027 Women’s World Cup, the stadium’s capacity is listed as 47,252. However, the 2014 Men’s World Cup semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands saw a reported crowd of 63,267. Temporary seating was added to the stadium for the tournament, but was removed soon after the match.

In NFL context, this higher number would be comparable to the 67,594 capacity of Lincoln Financial Field and the 81,441 capacity of the Packers’ home stadium, Lambeau Field. There are currently no NFL stadiums with a capacity of less than 47,000.

Why did the NFL choose this stadium in Brazil?

As reported in this article by The athleteby Mike JonesAn international city seeking to host an NFL game must have a suitable venue. But this involves much more than just field conditions and seating capacity. A potential venue must meet all of the technical requirements necessary to host and broadcast an NFL game.

Mike North, NFL vice president of broadcast planning, called the league’s IT department “the line of defense of the game – they’re the first to do a site survey and try to find out if the venue can actually handle it.”

Cities must also have adequate hotel, catering and training facilities to support two NFL teams, each with a traveling party of 53 players plus coaching staff, support personnel and team management.

Then other considerations come into play, North said: “Are there NFL football fans there yet? Have they shown a greater interest recently, whether it’s through social media or video downloads or selling hats and jerseys or participating in fantasy football or, perhaps most importantly, participating in flag football.”

The Eagles and Packers play on Friday night (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The NFL also needs to ensure international venues have space on their calendars for their games – Corinthians had a home game last Sunday but has no game this weekend as the national soccer team takes an international break in September. Their next game, also at home, is on Thursday, September 12.

The Eagles are “at home” today as the NFL regular season includes 17 games for each team.

Because of the odd number, teams in the two parallel 16-club conferences that make up the league, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), have nine and eight home games respectively in alternating years, and in 2024 it will be the NFC teams’ turn with nine games. The NFL therefore selects its host teams for international games from clubs that have an additional home game each season.

Reporting by Mike Jones

What’s the problem with the teams’ green uniforms?

Both NFL teams typically play in Brazil this week wearing jerseys in their own distinctive shade of green, but that color is usually banned at the Corinthians Arena because of the team’s intense rivalry with fellow Sao Paulo club Palmeiras.

Corinthians even goes so far as to punish its players for wearing green shoes. ESPN reported in 2021 that former Manchester City striker Jo wore green shoes when playing for Corinthians and had to pay for them, even though he believed they were turquoise blue.

As today’s “home team”, the Eagles have therefore decided to switch to a black and white uniform for the first time, the same colors as Corinthians’ home jersey.

You have NEVER seen this combination before@FanDuel | #FlyingEagleFlying pic.twitter.com/LUf7ZH2JdU

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) 30 August 2024

“We chose the color,” Eagles assistant general manager Jon Ferrari told ESPN. “We looked at it like this… (Corinthians) is the host team, right? They’re black and white. That’s their color scheme. And the whole stadium is black and white.”

The Packers risk being frowned upon because they will be wearing their traditional white, yellow and green uniforms. At least the colors resemble the gold and green of the Brazilian national flag.

Topics for Week 1 in Brazil#GBvsPHI pic.twitter.com/QUJ5gQ2K34

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) 30 August 2024

Where else will the NFL play international games this season?

This opening weekend game will be one of five international NFL regular-season games in 2024, including three in London in October (two at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium, one at Wembley Stadium) and another the following month in Munich, Germany.

The international schedule for 2024 is set! 🏈🗺️@NFLBrazil | @NFLUKIRE | @NFLGermany

📺: NFL Schedule Release – Tonight 8:00pm ET on NFLN/ESPN2
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/HMwi7SLZ8h

— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2024

“Bringing the NFL to new continents, countries and cities around the world is a critical part of our plan to continue to grow the game worldwide,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

NFL clubs agreed to a vote on up to eight international games in 2025. It has already been announced that the league will break new ground and play at Spain’s Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, winners of the 2023-24 Champions League final. The league has also played several regular season games in Mexico over the past two decades.

(Top photo: The Corinthians Arena; Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)