RIO DE JANEIRO — Soccer, volleyball, no holds barred… Maracanã is the answer to all. “What is the attendance record?” Trivia in Brazil and the iconic stadium, home to the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, is now the destination for the NFL’s first trip to Rio de Janeiro as they face off against the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
And what a fun night it was.
With 72,792 fans in attendance, a Maracana record in 2026, the Ravens had the better part despite this being a “home” game for the Cowboys. For whatever reason, you connect better with the locals in Rio.
Dallas’ Brandon Oubrey and Javonte Williams led the way, while the Ravens were led by Derrick Henry and Tyler Lopp. The Portuguese-speaking nation, echoing “Let’s go Ravens” in good English from the stands, took a 24-13 lead at halftime by singing “Evidencias,” Brazil’s “Sweet Caroline” celebration song for all intents and purposes.
But even Ravens fans couldn’t contain their cheers when Jake Ferguson’s touchdown gave the Cowboys the lead in the third quarter. They fans were all about touches and fun.
in the country”Play bonitoThe fans who made Brazil famous for football at the international level were now screamingDefense! Protection!” It sounds funny, but I guess that’s the spirit of the NFL taking over.
And when everyone called for another round of beer or soda in overtime, the Cowboys tied the score with a field goal with just seven seconds left, and the Ravens came away with a miraculous field goal with one second left.
“When the lights go out,“As they say in Brazil. Or, “The lights are about to go out.”
A Maracanazzo For the Cowboys in their “home” game, but in the end it’s good for the locals. This stadium was filled with tears from 200,000 fans, 76 years after Brazil lost the World Cup final to Uruguay, the tears were now tears of joy.
The NFL was in Brazil for a few hours, and tonight was to be a part of the spectacle.
The NFL may say it finally came to Rio de Janeiro, but Sunday’s Cowboys vs. Ravens event wasn’t the first football matchup at the Maracana. In the 1950s, Miami Jackson High School was invited by the Brazilian Radio Association to “prepare” football. As with recent NFL practices, a successful first trip in Sao Paulo led to another matchup in Rio.
Maracana, four years away from the World Cup finals to local disbelief, the footballers were on the field on July 11, 1954, the friendly match ended in a 21-21 draw, and most of the newspaper coverage at the time was devoted to explaining why the footballers were wearing different clothes and why their goal balls looked like giant H’s.
From a business perspective, the NFL’s first trip to the A wonderful city It was a success. The challenge of going to Rio from the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest city was to sell out a large stadium, the 25,000-seat Neo Quimica Arena from previous games, and it delivered.
Hopefully it won’t take another 72 years for football to return to the Maracana.