35M Fans, $60M Impact: NFL Taps Chargers To Host Return To Brazil In ’25
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 01:12PM By Barry Janoff
February 19, 2025: Keeping its collective eye on the international prize, the NFL today said it would return to play a regular season game in Brazil in 2025 “following the success of the inaugural game in 2024.”
The Los Angeles Chargers have been designated as the home team in São Paulo in Corinthians Arena, scheduled for Friday night of Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
The stadium, home to soccer team SC Corinthian, has a seating capacity of 47,250.
The Chargers’ opponent, along with kickoff time for the game on Sept. 5, 2025, will be unveiled when the full 2025 NFL schedule is revealed this spring. (Details here.)
The NFL's first regular season game in South America saw the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Green Bay Packers, 34–29, on Sept. 6, 2024.
Officials said the game and surrounding events had an economic return of $60 million.
The NFL said it has more than 35 million fans in Brazil.
The Chargers have previously played in three regular season games internationally, including London (two) and Mexico City (one).
“It’s an honor to once again represent the NFL on an international stage,” A.G. Spanos, Chargers president of business operations, said via the team. “It’s also a tremendous opportunity to help grow the game and bring the Chargers brand to millions of sports fans across Brazil and Latin America.
“One of the great countries of the world, Brazil is as vibrant, dynamic and culturally diverse as anywhere on the planet and we cannot wait to experience the warmth and passion of its people during our visit.”
The NFL previously unveiled International Series games for 2025 in London, Dublin, Madrid and Berlin, as well as a game in Australia in 2026.
Beyond the NFL’s second game in-market, the league said it is “committed to growing the game at every level in Brazil, engaging with fans year-round through partners, programs and initiatives."
"We are proud to have held the first game in NFL history in Brazil, here in our city — the NFL’s return in 2025 demonstrates how prepared São Paulo is for major events and tourists from around the world,” São Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes said via the NFL.
“With the expansion of our entertainment calendar, we are generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs with each event. Last year, with a single match, we had an economic return of $60 million and the expectation is to expand even further this year. Not to mention the exponential gain for sectors that serve the visiting public, such as hotels, taxi drivers, app drivers and the entire hospitality sector.”
Beginning in 2025, the NFL can schedule up to eight league-operated regular season games internationally.
During the 2025 season, there will be two regular season games in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium featuring the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns as designated teams; one game in Berlin, in Olympic Stadium Berlin, with the Indianapolis Colts as the designated team; and one game in Madrid in Bernabéu Stadium, featuring the Miami Dolphins.
The first regular season game in Dublin, Ireland will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will also return to Wembley Stadium in London for a home game as part of their multi-year commitment to playing games in the U.K.
Fifty-five regular season NFL international games have been played throughout the league's history, with London, Munich, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto all hosting games to date.
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