Packers News: Green Bay will open its 2024 season in Brazil vs. the Eagles

For the second time in three seasons, the Green Bay Packers will play an international regular season game.

On Tuesday, Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy seemed to change his tone about the team potentially playing in Brazil for the season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Previously, Murphy had stated that there were concerns that the team would be on equal footing with the Eagles, as the Packers would have to bus down to Milwaukee before taking the long flight to South America. During the club’s Tailgate Tour, though, Murphy claimed, “This is very important for the league. If we’re chosen, we’ll gladly go,” and mentioned that the Packers were one of the largest fanbases in Brazil.

Now, it’s official: Green Bay will play Philadelphia in São Paolo on Friday, September 6th, something that no one would have believed just a few years ago. Since 2007, the NFL has now played in London, Mexico City and Germany, as the league’s ever-expanding footprint continues to grow. Teams are even being given “Home Marketing Areas,” as franchises like the Miami Dolphins claim Latin American countries like Argentina as a “home market” while others, like the New York Jets, have stuck their flags in European countries like Ireland.

Neither franchise that claims Brazil as its home market, the Dolphins and New England Patriots, will be featured in the first game in the country — so it’s uncertain how much these “Home Marketing Areas” really matter in the grand scheme of things. Despite having no “Home Marketing Area” claims, the Packers will now make their second international trip in three seasons — following their 2022 matchup with the New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, the Packers-Eagles game is going to be streamed exclusively on Peacock, a subscription service, but the game should be broadcast locally within the Packers’ television network footprint on over-the-air television. So for those of you in Green Bay or Milwaukee without a Peacock subscription, do not fret.

This game is also notable for the date that it will be played on, not just the country that the stadium is located in. This is the NFL’s first real venture into Friday football in September, something that is not allowed within 75 miles of a high school program in America due to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. Don’t be surprised if the NFL continues to look at international venues as a way to get on the field on Fridays or Saturdays up until the second week of December, as it’s the only real way the league can get past federal law to generate more primetime games during the week.