In April 2024, word got out that the Green Bay Packers would be facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Palo, Brazil. While this may seem customary to NFL fans as just another part of the league’s effort to grow the game globally, it could have actually have much more of a historical significance than one might think.
Green Bay Packers: Helping to grow the game
This is the second time in three years that the Green Bay Packers have been chosen to participate in an international NFL game. In 2022, they played a game in London against the New York Giants where they lost 27-22. But the results of these contests are arguably irrelevant as the goal of showcasing the NFL around the world is to substantially increase the game’s exposure. Both the MLB and the NBA have been playing regular season matchups in other countries for many years now, and there’s no reason why the NFL should be any different.
It also is a wise move to feature one of the NFL’s most popular franchises like the Green Bay Packers. Although the league has chosen various teams of different statures to play internationally, picking a well-known team that has a strong following and storied history will only serve to enrich the game even more.
In fact, based on multiple sources, both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers are in the upper tier when it comes to their popularity among fans. Both made the playoffs last year, and the Eagles played in Super Bowl XLVII just two seasons prior where they gave the Kansas City Chiefs a run for their money. So with two young, prominent quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love, it seems to be a no-brainer for their squads to be chosen to play in the league’s first ever venture into Brazil.
The importance of Brazil and South America
The league’s NFL International series began in London in 2007, and then expanded into Mexico and Germany in 2016 and 2022, respectively. And the NFL already announced that in 2025, a game will be played in Spain as well. Now, it’s Brazil’s turn to host the most popular sport in America.
In order to truly make good on the promise of sharing the game of football to everyone imaginable, it’s important to continue the expansion of the game into places previously not tapped into before. And that entails not just playing a game or two outside of the U.S every year, but actually having clubs engage with a global audience. The NFL launched the Global Markets program in 2022 to do exactly that, and that program is expanding even further this upcoming year.
Future of the NFL on the world stage
It is the sincere hope of many that this trend of marketing football outside of the U.S only continues. Other potential markets may include countries such as Canada, Australia, or South Africa. The obvious result of that would be a further increase in popularity of the NFL. And that is not just good business for the league, but it’s also good news for clubs like the Green Bay Packers looking to expand their brand and their fandom.
Too see which other teams will be making the trip across the pond during the 2024 NFL season, it looks like those matchups will be announced imminently. All signs point to the NFL schedule being fully released to the public on Wednesday, May 15th.
