The NFL’s spirit took over in Brazil amidst Cowboys-Ravens thriller

General view ahead of the NFL match between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 27, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images RIO DE JANEIRO — Soccer, volleyball, no-holds-barred… Maracanã is the answer for all the “What’s the attendance record in…” trivia questions in Brazil, and the iconic stadium, home for FIFA World Cup Finals in 1950 and 2014, was now the destination for NFL’s first trip to Rio de Janeiro with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens facing off. And what an epic night it was. With 72,792 fans in attendance, a record for Maracanã in 2026, the Ravens had the better share of the stands even though this was a “home” game for the Cowboys. For whatever reason, they linked better with the locals in Rio. Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey and Javonte Williams got the lead, but the Ravens came back on top with Derrick Henry and Tyler Loop. The Portuguese-speaking country echoed, “Let’s go Ravens,” in good English from the stands, and celebrated during halftime with a 24-13 lead by singing “Evidencias,” kind of a Brazilian “Sweet Caroline” celebratory song for all purposes and intentions. But even a pro-Ravens crowd couldn’t avoid cheering when the Cowboys’ touchdown from Jake Ferguson put them back in the lead in the third quarter. They fans were all about touchdowns and entertainment. In the country of “Joga Bonito,” what made Brazil known worldwide in soccer, fans were now screaming “Defense! Defense!” It sounds ludicrous, but I guess that’s the NFL spirit taking over. And when everyone was about to ask for another round of beer or soda for overtime, with Cowboys tying the score with a field goal with just seven seconds on the clock, the Ravens came out of nowhere with a miraculous field goal with one second left. “No apagar das luzes,” as they say in Brazil. Or, “When lights were about to go off.“ Ravens wins! A Maracanazo for the Cowboys in their “home” game, but finally a good one for the locals. 76 years after this stadium was flooded by tears of 200,000 disappointed fans, crying Brazil’s World Cup Final loss to Uruguay, the tears now were of joy. NFL was Brazilian for a few hours, and tonight was about being part of the spectacle. The NFL can finally say it has come to Rio de Janeiro, but Sunday’s Cowboys vs. Ravens event was not the first football match in Maracanã. Back in the 1950s, Miami Jackson High School was invited by the Brazilian radio association for a football “presentation” in Brazil. Much like with recent NFL experiences, a successful first trip in São Paulo led to another match in Rio. Maracanã, where four years before the World Cup Final ended in disbelief for the locals, football players were on the pitch on July 11, 1954. The friendly match ended in a 21-21 draw, and most of the newspaper coverage at the time was dedicated to explaining why they dressed so differently than soccer players and why their goal posts looked like a giant H. From a business standpoint, the NFL’s first trip to Cidade Maravilhosa was a success. The challenge of going from the biggest city in the southern hemisphere to Rio meant selling out a larger stadium, 25,000 seats more than previous games at Neo Quimica Arena, and it delivered. Hopefully it won’t take another 72 years for football to come back to Maracanã.

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