The NFL is taking over one of soccer’s most famous stages today. The Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys meet at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium on Sunday, September 27, bringing Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott to the league’s first regular-season game in the city.
It is the NFL’s third game in Brazil and its second international game of the 2026 season. Philadelphia and Green Bay opened the Brazil run in São Paulo in 2024. Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers followed there in 2025, before this year’s matchup moved to Rio. The season’s international schedule began earlier this month in Melbourne, Australia.
Both teams arrive at 1-1, with plenty riding on how they handle an unfamiliar setting. Baltimore has a chance to lean on Jackson and Derrick Henry against a Dallas defense that has struggled to stop the run through two games. Prescott, meanwhile, leads an offense that bounced back sharply in Week 2. The matchup gives Rio a game with two recognizable quarterbacks and early-season questions on both sidelines.
The Maracanã’s grass has drawn attention before kickoff. Heavy rain and an already crowded soccer schedule raised concerns about the surface, prompting preparation work ahead of the NFL game. League field director Nick Pappas said officials had “no concerns” about its condition and that moving the game was not under discussion.
The show extends beyond football. Brazilian DJ Pedro Sampaio and Ricky Martin are set to perform at halftime, giving the first Rio game a musical lineup with local roots and global reach. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. Eastern. For Brazil’s growing NFL audience, the Maracanã now gets its own place in the league’s international history.
