Dallas Cowboys’ opponent and date for Brazil game in 2026 announced
The NFL announced Thursday night that the Dallas Cowboys will play the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kickoff will be at 3:25 p.m. CST.
While the announcement of the Cowboys going overseas was already made in February, Thursday’s news puts finality on who will be on the other sideline. The two main candidates for the game were the Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I have a lot of business in Brazil that I’ve had for 35 years,” owner Jerry Jones said in February. “It’ll be great to have those Cowboys involved. We’re excited. We have a lot of fans on that continent, and it makes it good. I’m excited about going.”
It will be the 11th time that the Cowboys have played an international game, although nine have been preseason exhibitions. Here are the games that Dallas has played outside the U.S.:
- 2014 - in London vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 2001 - in Mexico City vs. Oakland Raiders (preseason)
- 2000 - in Tokyo vs. Atlanta Falcons (preseason)
- 1998 - in Mexico City vs. New England Patriots (preseason)
- 1996 - in Monterrey vs. Kansas City Chiefs (preseason)
- 1995 - in Toronto vs. Buffalo Bills (preseason)
- 1994 - in Mexico City vs. Houston Oilers (preseason)
- 1993 - in London vs. Detroit Lions (preseason)
- 1992 - in Tokyo vs. Houston Oilers (preseason)
- 1986 - in London vs. Chicago Bears (preseason)
The Cowboys were predetermined to give up a home game in 2026 for an international destination, although the possibility of the team traveling to Melbourne, Australia, was on the table before the league selected the San Francisco 49ers to play the Los Angeles Rams Down Under.
While the Cowboys have a strong presence in Mexico and the league is returning to Mexico City in 2026 for the first time in four years, Dallas will have to wait to connect again with the Mexican fans.
Instead, the Cowboys will head to Brazil for the NFL’s third-ever game in the South American country. It will be the first in Rio de Janeiro after two previous games in São Paulo in 2024 and 2025.
