NFL season opens in South America

The NFL expanded to São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 5 for the first week of a regular season game. The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in front of 47,627 fans at the Corinthians Arena. Past the score of the game, this event aimed to bring a bigger market of global reach to show the sport there are more fans beyond the United States.

“I think it’s good for Brazil to host a game because it brings the NFL to an international level,

instead of just an American level,” said Quinn Menzel ‘27.

The Chargers delivered an important performance against the Chiefs. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes kept his team throughout the game with playmaking but Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receiver Keenan Allen made key plays that secured the win. 

“I thought Mahomes carried the Chiefs but the Chargers were better,” Menzel said.

The game  in São Paulo filled a significant number of fans with excitement. 

Gavin Smith ‘27 said, “I think it’s really cool that the NFL does international games. It gives fans from around the world more opportunities to see games in person. No team gets the hometown advantage [but the atmosphere was good because]  the crowd was still very loud and engaged like any other NFL game.”

The atmosphere featured Samba drums, chants and jerseys from both teams. This showcased the culture of the NFL in a different country.

For the Chargers, the victory marked an early-season journey while for the league, the game represents another step in its international growth. Even though this is the second game to happen in Brazil, it continued to reflect the league’s international growth. With this expansion Friday’s game presented fans with competition and entertainment while also showing how the event brought together people from different cultures.