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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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Debate

Will the Packers vs. Eagles game in Brazil boost NFL's global popularity or just a one-time hit?

The pigskin will debut on the land where ‘futbol’ is religion. Packers vs. Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at Arena Corinthians is set to be a thriller. No doubt it has faced more than a fair number of controversies in the build-up, but the teams are now warming up. Soon, the Birds will host the Packers in the home stadium, almost 4,500 miles away from Philadelphia. But there’s a price for everything.

Corinthians is about to score big, but this time, it’s not on the soccer field. The São Paulo club is set to cash in $500,000 (R$ 2.8 million) for letting the NFL play on its turf. That’s a hefty win for the club’s budget! Rozallah Santoro, the club’s former financial director, laid it out plain and simple: “$450,000 in rent plus $50,000 for other expenses.” Net result? $500,000 after covering 40% of match-day costs. Not too shabby for a day off from soccer, right?

But wait, there’s more! You must have seen ‘Arena Corinthians’ a lot and might think that it’s the stadium’s name. However, that’s not it. Originally, the stadium went by ‘Neo Química Arena’. But to maintain the American side of the sport, the English name has been going viral. See it like renting out a place for a frat. We can call it whatever we want, right? That’s what the league is doing. And those soccer sponsors? They’ll be benched too, replaced with all things NFL. So, get ready for some serious American football vibes in São Paulo. Everyone’s working in tandem to make the Packers vs. Eagles a celebration, not just another game in Brazil.

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But that’s just a part of the change. An increase in seating has also occurred. The stadium’s capacity is getting a boost to over 50,000 fans—that’s a lot of new seats cheering for touchdowns, not goals! And while a temporary structure will go up in the northern sector for the event, it’s just like a quick substitution: here for a bit, gone after the final whistle.

Meanwhile, the Packers vs. Eagles clash would also give the players some experience. Comforting for one group, tiresome for the other.

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Will the Packers vs. Eagles game in Brazil boost NFL's global popularity or just a one-time hit?

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Packers vs. Eagles will carry the ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ matchday feels

As the “home team” in Brazil, the Eagles are living the dream with a short stroll to São Paulo’s Corinthians Arena. Meanwhile, the Packers are stuck playing an extra quarter—on the road! Their game-day commute? According to NFL insider Jonathan Jones, it could take them a whopping 1.5 to 2 hours, thanks to gridlock traffic. Not exactly the kind of pregame huddle you want, right?

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This could shake up the game. While the Eagles are kicking back and sticking to their normal routine, the Packers will be pulling a “Friday night lights” high school move—arriving late and scrambling to suit up. That kind of road trip can mess with your rhythm, especially with kickoff just around the corner. But that’s what you get for being an away team. Brazil sure wasn’t ready to let the Packers feel anything like Green Bay. And it would be quite a journey.

And if we go by the mural, then Sao Paulo is ready to witness the rivalries of the next-gen QBs. Sure, Jordan Love would have to set his mindset on the road, while Jalen Hurts would have prepped with a throwing session till then. But we can expect fireworks on Friday night.

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