Cowboys to play in NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro

The Dallas Cowboys will participate in the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro in 2026, the league announced Thursday.

The 78,000-seat Maracana Stadium, which has hosted World Cup matches and the 2016 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, will host the game. The league previously announced Rio as one of its new international markets; at least three regular-season games will be played there in the next five years.

The Cowboys’ opponent and the game date will be announced at a later date, but it’s likely to be early in the season. The NFL came to Brazil for the first time in 2024, and its Sao Paulo games in 2025 and 2026 were played on Friday of Week 1.

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo in 2024 and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs there this past year.

The NFL is adding International Series games in Melbourne, Paris and Rio for the first time in 2026 while continuing series in London, Madrid, Mexico City and Munich. Earlier Thursday, the NFL announced the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers would contest the Melbourne game, the league’s first in Australia.

–Field Level Media