The Eagles will open the 2024 season with a Friday night game in Brazil, Commissioner Roger Goodell said during his chat with the media in Las Vegas.
This will be the NFL’s first game in South America and the first NFL season opener on a Friday since Sept. 18, 1970, when the Rams beat the Cards 34-13 at L.A. Coliseum.
The game will be played on Sept. 6 at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, which has a capacity of 47,252. It’s the home stadium of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista soccer team and was used for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and for soccer in the 2016 Olympics.
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The Eagles’ opponent and kickoff time will be announced at a later date.
“The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America," Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement.
“With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. One of the world's most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant, and welcoming environment later this year.”
This will count as an Eagles home game. They're scheduled for nine home games in 2024 so they’ll still have eight regular-season games at the Linc. Their road opponents in 2024 in addition to their three division games are the Falcons, Panthers, Browns, Packers, Jaguars and Steelers. The Jaguars play in London every year, so they’re out as a potential opponent.
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Last time the Eagles opened a season on a Friday was Sept. 24, 1948, when they lost to the Chicago Cards 21-14 at Comiskey Park. But they went on to win their first NFL Championship three months later at Shibe Park.
Last time the Eagles played on a Friday was Sept. 30, 1960, when they beat the Cowboys 27-25 at the Cotton Bowl. They also won the NFL Championship that year.
Overall, the Eagles are 2-5-1 on Fridays, including back-to-back losses to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Lions a week apart in 1935.
Friday games in the NFL were common in the 1960s, but since 1970 there have only been 11, including a Jets-Dolphins game this past Dec. 24 on Christmas Eve.
This will be the Eagles’ second overseas regular-season game. They beat the Jaguars 24-18 at Wembley Stadium in London in October 2018.
They’ve also played preseason games overseas vs. the Saints in Mexico City in 1978, in London in 1989 vs. the Browns and 1991 vs. the Bills and in 1993 vs. the Saints.
“This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint," Goodell said. “Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions."
Other international games in 2024 with the “home” team will be in London (Bears, Vikings, Jaguars) and Munich, Germany (Panthers).
Since starting international regular-season games in 2007, the NFL has had 36 games in London, five games in Mexico City and two games in Germany.