Packers tabbed as team to face Eagles in NFL's first Brazil matchup

The Philadelphia Eagles will be joined by another iconic team for the NFL’s first game ever in Brazil.

The Green Bay Packers will take on the Eagles in São Paolo, Brazil, in Week 1, the league announced Friday.

It was previously announced that the Eagles would be the home team for the league’s first-ever Brazil game. News emerged in recent days that either the Packers or the Cleveland Browns would be the designated road opponent for the matchup, although Green Bay president Mark Murphy seemed to anticipate his team would make the trip south.

“We’re either the first- or second-most popular team in Brazil,” Murphy told reporters Tuesday.

“Also, this is very important for the league. … If we’re chosen, we’ll gladly go,” Murphy added.

While Murphy was on board with the idea of the Packers playing in Brazil on Tuesday, he showed some concern over the possible trip when he spoke with reporters at the NFL’s league meeting in March.

“We’re very supportive of international play,” Murphy told reporters then. “The one issue with Green Bay, though, is the size of our airport and the size of our runway. We want to make sure we’re not at a competitive disadvantage in terms of how long it will take us to get to Brazil. There’s some thought we might have to bus to Milwaukee and then fly.”

The Packers were the last team to play in an international game, avoiding having to make an overseas trip until 2022 when they faced the New York Giants in London. The Packers and Eagles were two of the seven teams to play in just one international game before the 2024 season.

The matchup also features two playoff teams from last season, which has typically been uncommon for the NFL’s international game. The Eagles made it to the postseason for the third year in a row with Jalen Hurts as their starting quarterback, but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last season following a Super Bowl trip the year prior. While it marks the first game for the Eagles in the post-Jason Kelce era, it’ll also serve as Saquon Barkley’s debut.

On the flip side, the Packers are coming off a surprise playoff run. Jordan Love led the Packers to the postseason in his first year as their starting quarterback, using a late-season turnaround to get the final playoff spot in the NFC. They upset the Dallas Cowboys in the first round before losing a tight game to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round. The game will also serve as the Packers debuts for Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney.

As previously announced, the game will take place on Friday, Sept. 6. It’ll mark the first time that the NFL will play a Friday game in Week 1 since 1970. The game will be played at Arena Corinthians, a 47,252-seat stadium in Brazil’s most populous city.