Daily Times

The National Football League breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy on Friday when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians.

The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread America’s most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures in London, Munich, Frankfurt, Toronto and Mexico City. Spain will host a regular season game in 2025 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of European football giants Real Madrid. The NFL has said there are around 38 million American football fans in Brazil, of whom 8.3 million are described as avid. That makes Brazil the second largest international fan base after Mexico, according to the league. The NFL has made it clear that it sees Brazil as a regular venue for games in the future, with Friday’s game effectively establishing a beachhead for the sport. “The fundamental strategy is really a focus on becoming a true global sports property and growing the game and the fan base around the world,” the NFL’s executive vice-president of international events Peter O’Reilly said.