Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie ‘Honored’ to Host First NFL Game in Brazil

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie says he is honored to have his organization chosen to the the first host of an NFL game in South America.

Jeffrey Lurie was never fond of giving up a home game to leave the United States to play. The last time the Eagles did was in 2018 when they went to London to play the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was the Jags' home game, though.

This time, it's different.

The Eagles are leaving the confines of Lincoln Financial Field to make history. They will host the first-ever NFL game to be played in South America, the NFL revealed on Monday evening.

More specifically, the game will be played in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It will mark the season opener for the Eagles and their still-unnamed opponent on Sept. 6, which is a Friday. It is the first time the NFL has played a game on Friday night of their opening weekend in over 50 years when the Cardinals and Rams did so on Sept. 18, 1970.

Jeffrey Lurie / USA Today

"The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America," said Lurie. “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.

"As 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."

The time and opponent for the Eagles will be released closer to when the schedule comes out in the spring.

Eagles Hosting Inaugural Brazil Game, Kickoff Date Revealed

The game will take place in the city of São Paulo at the Corinthians Arena, home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians. The stadium was an official venue for both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. 

The NFL's decision to let the Eagles be the first team to host one of the premier dates in its International Games series is a testament to the ratings Philly draws whenever it plays in primetime, something the Eagles do quite a bit.

They became the first team to play five three times on Monday Night Football this past year, then played two more standalone games on Monday - on Christmas Day and again in the wild-card round of the playoffs.