Cairo Santos says the NFL is thrilled with Brazil
NFL debuts at Maracanã with Cowboys x Ravens. After games in SP, Cairo Santos sees the league passionate about Brazil and American football expanding.
== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man
Context: The NFL in Brazil and the place of Maracanã
The Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), is preparing to live an unprecedented milestone: hosting the first NFL game in its history.
The news was published by Leonardo Pratt, from Rio de Janeiro (RJ).The duel on carioca soil arouses enthusiasm even among those who follow the NFL closely, because it unites the sports tradition of the stadium with the expectation of a new experience for fans.
Development: two years in São Paulo and the arrival in Rio
Prior to the Maracanã debut, Brazil had already hosted two NFL games in 2024 and 2025, both at NEO Química Arena in São Paulo. This move worked as a stage of building Brazilian interest for the league, with packed stadium, programming for fans and greater familiarity with teams, athletes and rules of American football.
In the process, Brazilian kicker Cairo Santos of Chicago Bears commented to ESPN that the NFL is becoming "more passionate" about Brazil.
According to him, since his freshman year the goal of bringing the NFL to Brazil has been associated with Maracanã, because of the history of the place, the Cups already held in the stadium and the unforgettable moments lived by Brazilians in the stands.
League progress and Brazilian team's reaction
The Chicago Bears kicker acknowledged that the two games in São Paulo, held at a beautiful stadium, were important for the NFL's relationship with Brazil.
Cairo Santos also assessed that the NFL is more passionate about Brazil than Brazil for the NFL. For him, the league is very involved in turning the country into one of the largest markets in the world. The message is direct to the fan: the game at Maracanã is not just an isolated match but part of a larger strategy of competition growth on the Brazilian sports calendar.
Where the narrative is now
The confrontation between Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens will be played next Sunday (27), at 17:25 (Brasília), and mark the 3rd game of the league in Brazil, after the matches of 2024 and 2025 at NEO Química Arena.
The case of Cairo Santos, kicker for the Chicago Bears, helps to show the size of the moment: for those who live the NFL from within, arriving at the Rio de Janeiro stadium represents the realization of a personal dream and the sign that Brazil has gone from an emerging market to the league's priority destination.
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