Well, that was unexpected! According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Philadelphia Eagles will open the 2024 NFL season in São Paulo as the home team in what will be the first-ever game hosted in the City.
Opening the week in São Paulo is one thing, but the Eagles will also make history by playing in the first ever opening-week Friday night game.
Philadelphia Eagles to play in historic São Paulo clash
The first game of the 2024 NFL season will take place in São Paulo between the Philadelphia Eagles and a yet-to-be-named team.
Philadelphia is currently set to host the following opponents in 2024, meaning one of these teams will be on the road in Brazil for the season opener:
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Washington Commanders
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Green Bay Packers
The Eagles released the following statement shortly after the huge game was announced:
For Philly fans, this is bound to be bittersweet. On one hand, starting the season off with a game at the Linc would’ve been amazing. On the other side, few fanbases travel as well as Philadelphia, and fans across the world will be jumping with joy at the opportunity to travel to Brazil and cheer on the Birds in another country.
The rampant fanbase took over London a few years ago when Philly beat the Jaguars and helped set a then-NFL record attendance for Wembley games. We’re bound to see swarms of fans take to the streets of São Paulo in the days leading up to the Friday night contest and the tailgating experience is almost destined to be out of this world.
Will you be going to cheer the Eagles on in Brazil for the first ever week 1 Friday night opener?
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
