The Miami Dolphins could be playing a game in Brazil in the 2024 season, and a major update was provided for the NFL’s plan for an international contest in Sao Paulo.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, an NFC team would be the home team for the game in Brazil.
The NFL is zeroing in on São Paolo, Brazil as a site for a 2024 International Series game, per sources. The owners will discuss and potentially finalize it today at their meetings in Dallas.
Assuming it gets done, per the schedule rotation, an NFC team would be the home team.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 13, 2023
Miami has been floated as a team that could play in the game – which may be held as early as Week 1 – according to a report from earlier this month.
“The NFL is analyzing the possibility of playing a regular season game in South America next season, 2024,” ESPN’s John Sutcliffe said. “And the country is Brazil, and the city is Sao Paulo. … This is what I know. The NFL would like to play it on Week 1. Just the logistics, the TV trucks, everything would be better in Week 1, so September 2024.
“And then if you take into account that the only team in Brazil that has the rights to market themselves are the Miami Dolphins. So, I expect, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Week 1, Miami playing a regular season game.”
The Dolphins’ road games in the 2024 season are set to be as follows: at the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and New York Jets.
The team will also play road games against the AFC North and NFC North teams that finish in the same spots of their divisions as the Dolphins do. If the season ended today, those teams would be the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, who are in first place in those respective divisions.
Since the game in Brazil is expected to feature a team from the NFC as the home team, that would give the Dolphins three potential options for that game.
The Rams, Seahawks and potentially the Lions (or whoever finishes in Miami’s division spot in the NFC North) would be the teams that could host Miami in Brazil.
The situation is extremely intriguing for Dolphins fans, as it would be great for the team to gain more international exposure after playing a game in Germany against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season.
While the Dolphins’ potential opponents can be narrowed down, the NFL likely won’t release the matchup – and if the Dolphins are playing in Brazil – until the offseason when it releases the schedule.
Still, it’s something for Dolphins fans to look forward to in 2024.
For now, Miami is looking to bounce back and stay atop the AFC East after a bad loss in Week 14 to the Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins take on the Jets in Week 15 in Miami.
