"America's Team" is going international for the first time in 12 years.
The Dallas Cowboys will be one of the participating teams in the NFL's first game in Rio de Janeiro next season.
The date and time of the game, as well as the Cowboys' opponent, will be announced at a later date,per a league release on Thursday night. It will be played in the Maracanã Stadium, which famously hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.
#Cowboysheaded to Brazil.pic.twitter.com/Ko3zwCUU9w
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo)February 6, 2026
The NFL has already played two games in Brazil, but those took place in São Paulo at Corinthians Arena, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6, 2024, and the Los Angeles Chargers bested the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 5, 2025. Both were season openers, and both were decided by one score.
The Cowboys' game in Rio will be their first international date since 2014, when they faced off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
[Get more Cowboys news: Dallas team feed]
It will also mark the franchise's 11th time playing an international game, however, nine of those matchups have arrived during the preseason,according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which listed those 10 prior games as such:
2014 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | London
2001 vs. Oakland Raiders | Mexico City (preseason)
2000 vs. Atlanta Falcons | Tokyo (preseason)
1998 vs. New England Patriots | Mexico City (preseason)
1996 vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Monterrey (preseason)
1995 vs. Buffalo Bills | Toronto (preseason)
1994 vs. Houston Oilers | Mexico City (preseason)
1993 vs. Detroit Lions | London (preseason)
1992 vs. Houston Oilers | Tokyo (preseason)
1986 vs. Chicago Bears | London (preseason)
The NFL also announced Thursday that the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Ramswill play in the league's first game in Melbourne, Australia, next season.
In total,there will be an NFL-record nine international gamesduring the 2026 campaign.
