A first in 50 years
With success helping, Germany also wanted to please the fans of this spectacular sport, with Europeans flocking en masse to Munich and Frankfurt to see what was best in terms of quarterbacks or other tight ends. Ticket prices have soared in 2023 to see in action Tagovailoa and Mahomes at Deutsche Bank Park. And the NFL has decided to continue to develop internationally: Brazil will be the next step in its conquest of the hearts of American football fans… but also of their wallets. And, on this subject, we learned a little more this week. It is the opening match of the season which will be held in Sao Paulo, in the Corinthians stadium, on Friday September 6. “This is an extremely exciting moment for the city of São Paulo”declared Ricardo Nunes, its mayor, who estimates that Sao Paulo will benefit from an economic impact of 61 million euros, with 5,000 direct and indirect jobs being created for the event.
It will be the first time in 50 years that a match will take place on a Friday during an early season weekend. “The opening of the 2024 regular season on a Friday evening in São Paulo will bring incredible energy, marking a historic moment for our sport at the international level”rejoices Gerrit Meier, general director of the international division of the NFL.
The two franchises that will make history are the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles, who will play “at home” in a stadium that can accommodate 49,000 spectators. “We are excited to play in front of our fans in Brazil and help build the international popularity of the NFL and the Packers”announces Mark Murphy, CEO of the Packers.
But if Brazil is more famous for its European-style football, its distant American cousin is enjoying quite a bit of success in the land of samba. With 38 million fans, it is the third largest fan base for this sport in the world. The first game broadcast on television dates back to 1969, peaking at 2.5 million viewers during the last SuperBowl which welcomed another victory for the Kansas City Chiefs. There are reportedly 130 teams in Brazil, mainly amateur, with a core of 60 players each. But if there was a national tournament, with President Lula's son one of the leaders, he would have been arrested because police believed it was being used to launder money. This does not prevent a parallel league of 32 teams from still existing today. No information has yet filtered out on the date the tickets will go on sale or their price but it would be very surprising if the tickets were sold for less than $150 (+/- €140), the basic selling price in the NFL for both franchises.
Given the Brazilian fan base, success will be there. This will also be the case in 2025, when Real Madrid will also host a meeting…
