We may be very close to seeing the first NFL game in South American history.
According to ESPN Deportes reporter John Sutcliffe, the initial plan is for the Miami Dolphins to open the 2024 season by playing a game in São Paulo, Brazil.
Reporting for ESPN Brazil, Sutcliffe said that the NFL would like to make an early season game in Brazil because of “the logistics, the TV trucks, everything would be better in Week 1.”
Sutcliffe added that the Miami Dolphins “have exclusive Brazilian marketing rights” following the decisions of the Global Markets Program, so there’s an easier connection. The Dolphins have also had a Brazilian player on their practice squad for three years.
Offensive and defensive lineman Durval Queiroz Neto spent time with the team via the International Pathway Program. Neto appeared in preseason games, but was never a member of the active roster.
The NFL has made a concerted effort to expand their International Series to include games in Germany, Mexico and other parts of the United Kingdom. They now seem to have chosen a South American country.
If the NFL does indeed move forward and play a game in Brazil, it’s smart for the league to play it earlier in the season, because the Southern Hemisphere’s spring starts in September and it might become too warm to play a game. Furthermore, at that time of the year, there is only a one-hour difference in the time zone between the US East Coast and Brazil.
As for the Dolphins plans for this year, the team currently sits at 9-3 and as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. If they somehow win the Super Bowl, they will want to play their Week 1 game in 2024 at home in Miami.
