NFL season will kick off with a Friday night game in Brazil between Packers and Eagles

The Green Bay Packers will play the Philadelphia Eagles when the NFL holds its first regular-season game in Brazil on Sept. 6.

The matchup in Sao Paulo will mark the first time since 1970 that the NFL has played a Friday night game on the season’s opening weekend.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell already had said in February that the Eagles would be the home team for the game. The NFL announced Wednesday which team would be facing the Eagles.

The game will occur at Corinthians Arena, the home of Brazilian soccer team Corinthians. The venue was used at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

This will mark the Packers’ second international game in the last three years. They played their first regular-season game outside the United States in 2022, when they lost 27-22 to the New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

“We’re looking forward to being a part of this historic matchup against the Eagles in Sao Paulo,” Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement.

“We’re excited to play in front of our devoted fans in Brazil and help build upon the international popularity of the NFL and the Packers. We had a great experience playing internationally for the first time a couple of years ago and we’re proud to be part of the league’s continued global growth.”

The game will stream exclusively on Peacock — owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News — and also be available on free broadcast television in the local markets of the Eagles and Packers.

The last time the NFL had a Friday night game on its opening weekend was on Sept. 18, 1970, when the Los Angeles Rams hosted the St. Louis Cardinals.