On Tuesday, Emma Wilson was standing on the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ready to take a picture with the Green Bay Packers flag she often carries around.
“And this guy comes running up with a big smile, and he really didn’t speak any English and he said, ‘Ah, Packers!’ and he had a Packers shirt on,” Wilson said. “It was really fun just to see the community that’s built around the Packers, but around sports and the NFL in general.”
Emma and her mom, Judy Wilson, are now in São Paulo, Brazil, to watch the Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Friday. The game, which is the Packers season opener, is the first NFL game to take place in Brazil or in South America.
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Judy lives in Green Bay and said she’s been a Packers fan since birth.
“Even before that,” Judy said.
She said she and her daughter were “all in” once they found out about the game.
Since arriving, they’ve been able to see the sights and travel around the area.
“It’s been really, really fun to see different Packers fans and Eagles fans kind of all over and cheering, wearing shirts and doing some gentle trash-talking back and forth,” Emma said. “So it’s been a really nice atmosphere.”
The game is the first to take place outside of the United States this season. But in recent years, NFL teams have played in Germany, Mexico and London. The unique experience gives sports fans of other countries a glimpse into the atmosphere and tradition of the league.
Casey Scott grew up a Packers fan in Louisville, Kentucky, and will be at the game Friday. She said it’s a good opportunity to put on a show for the city of over 11 million people.
“In the U.S., I think it really is a unique opportunity for us to take the NFL global, to sort of harvest some of that market share,” Scott said.
The game will take place at Corinthians Arena, which has a capacity of around 48,000. That stadium is home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians. But Friday, it’ll play host to cheeseheads from across the globe.
“I’m really excited about looking around and seeing a multicultural explosion of Green Bay fans in a way that I’ve never experienced before,” Scott said.
This is the second time the Packers are playing an international game in the regular season. The team played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in 2022.
“We’re excited to play in front of our devoted fans in Brazil and help build upon the international popularity of the NFL and the Packers,” Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. “We had a great experience playing internationally for the first time a couple of years ago and we’re proud to be part of the league’s continued global growth.”
Aaron Popkey, a spokesperson for the Packers, said the NFL is looking to expand into Brazil, a place he said already has over 30 million NFL fans. He said the game is a chance to “increase that popularity.”
“It gets much more media coverage, more engagement, all those things that help increase popularity of the sport are in effect here in Brazil for the first time,” Popkey said.
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur also spoke about the opportunity during a press conference.
“I think our guys are truly excited,” LaFleur said. “There’s been a lot of work that’s been put in from the end of last season to now. I think they are excited about the opportunity to go out there and compete in front of the world.”
Emma Wilson said the game is also building interest in people traveling to Wisconsin to one day make it to a game at Lambeau Field.
“Especially here (São Paulo) and London, too — we’re in the biggest cities in the world and everyone is just dying to get to our little Green Bay,” Emma said. “It’s just really sweet and fun.”
Packers hope to continue last season’s success
The Packers finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 9-8, making the playoffs under first-time starting quarterback Jordan Love. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.
Love will lead the team into the season after signing a record contract making him one of the highest paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
“I know the fanbase is very excited in the potential for a real kind of magical ride here with a very young, promising team,” said Aaron Nagler, who covers the Packers for Cheesehead TV.
Nagler said he believes Love will improve throughout the season.
“You don’t pay a guy for what he’s done, you pay him for what you expect him to do, and the Packers clearly expect him to be a top echelon quarterback going forward in the next four, or five years,” Nagler said.
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