Cleveland, Ohio — The Browns might not have to find out how to overcome jet lag from their 12-hour travel to Brazil for the opener after all.
During the Packers’ Tailgate Tour on Tuesday, President Mark Murphy intimated that Green Bay’s popularity in the country may lead to them being chosen over the Browns to meet the Eagles in the opener on September 6 in São Paulo.
“We’re either the first- or second-most popular team in Brazil…. We’re kind of the people’s team,” Murphy told Packers.com’s Wes Hodkiewicz. “People really like the idea of a community owned team, with our history and tradition.”
He stated that the Packers “anticipate a decision pretty soon” and that they would welcome the opportunity to play in the first-ever NFL game in South America, where Commissioner Roger Goodell estimates there are 38 million sports enthusiasts.
“This is very important for the league,” Murphy stated. “The Packers are extremely popular in Brazil. “If we are chosen, we will gladly go.”
Goodell announced at the meetings on March 26th that a decision between the Browns and Packers will be made within the next week, but that has been delayed. The Browns have yet to hear anything, and the NFL has not spoken.
At the NFL annual meetings in Orlando two weeks ago, the Browns were eager to attend, but the Packers were hesitant due to travel problems.
“We’re very supportive of international play,” Murphy told Packers reporters at the discussions. “The one difficulty with Green Bay, however, is the size of our airport and runway, and we want to ensure that we are not at a competitive disadvantage in terms of how long it will take to go to Brazil. Some others believe we’ll have to bus to Milwaukee and then fly, among other things. And I expect to hear out within a week, so it’s either us or Cleveland. If they select us, we will appreciate it. It will be exciting. It’ll be the first game in Brazil, which will be great, but we want to make sure that some of those details are worked out.”
If Murphy’s prediction is correct, the Browns will play the Eagles in Philadelphia at some point this season; the entire schedule will be announced in early May. The Browns may still be in contention to face the Jaguars in London at Wembley Stadium.
The Browns last played internationally on October 29, 2017, when they lost 33-16 to the Vikings in London, finishing 0-16. Kevin Stefanski was the Vikings’ quarterback coach for the game.
The Browns, who heartily support the NFL’s growth into worldwide markets, had no reservations about the long travel to Brazil or starting the season with two road games. They would have had to do so because Billy Joel and Rod Stewart are performing at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 13 before the Week 2 games, and the field will not be ready until the next weekend.
The event will take place at Corinthians Arena, which is home to the SC Corinthians soccer team and also hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. It’s located in Brazil’s largest metropolis, which has a population of 12,400,000. It is the world’s largest Portuguese-speaking metropolis and the most populous outside of Asia.
Goodell stated at the NFL’s annual meeting on March 26 why expanding into Brazil is good business for the organization.
“We’ve gone through a great deal of analysis and a great deal of thought (in the market),” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “We’ve taken many excursions down there in the previous year or two. We believe this is a market that will be extremely profitable for us. We believe we have 38 million fans down there, and we believe that this type of event will both sustain and accelerate that growth.”
Goodell, like Murphy, stated that “the teams are important” due to the game’s scale and historical significance.
In 2024, there will be five regular season international games, including one in São Paulo, three in London, and one in Germany for the third year running.
Here are the following season’s international game hosts:
Philadelphia Eagles — Sao Paulo, Corinthians Arena
Chicago Bears — London — Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Minnesota Vikings — London — Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Jacksonville Jaguars — London — Wembley Stadium
Carolina Panthers play at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
