Cowboys Will Play Game in Rio de Janeiro in 2026

It’ll be the first NFL game in that city and Dallas’s first international game since 2014.

The Cowboys will leave the country for the first time in over a decade. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

For the first time since 2014, America’s team will play a game outside the United States.

The Cowboys will play in the NFL’s first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro next season, according to a Thursday evening report from Jonathan Jones of CBS. The contest is set to be Dallas’s first international contest since a 31–17 win over the Jaguars in London in ‘14.

The reported game is part of an extremely public push by the NFL to extend its sphere of influence into other countries. The 2026 season will see games played in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico and Spain.

The game will be played at the Maracanã Stadium, the beating heart of Brazilian soccer and one of world sport’s most famous venues. It has hosted games for the World Cup and the Olympics, and serves as the permanent home of domestic powerhouses Flamengo and Fluminense.

NFL games have been played in Brazil each of the last two seasons, with the Eagles beating the Packers 34–29 in 2024 to kick off their Super Bowl campaign and the Chargers beating the Chiefs 27–21 in 2025. Both games took place at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo.

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