Why Are the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers Playing in Brazil?

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are opening up the 2025 NFL season a long way from home. 

The AFC West rivals will do battle inside São Paulo, Brazil’s Arena Corinthians on Friday, September 5, as part of the NFL’s 2025 International Games schedule.

In recent years, the NFL has made an effort to expand their reach internationally, which included a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers in September 2024 at Arena Corinthians. 

“After a successful and memorable first game in Brazil in 2024, we are delighted to confirm the league’s return to São Paulo with the Los Angeles Chargers as the designated team in what will be an incredible next chapter in the market,” NFL Brazil General Manager Luis Martinez said when the game was announced in February. “We will continue to make history together and look forward to delivering an unforgettable experience for passionate fans of the game once again in Brazil.”

According to São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes, last year’s game between the Eagles and Packers brought more than $60 million to the city and expected that figure to “expand even further this year.”

Nearly 50,000 fans are expected to sell out Arena Corinthians for the game between the Chiefs and Chargers. 

“It’s also a tremendous opportunity to help grow the game and bring the Chargers brand to millions of sports fans across Brazil and Latin America,” Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos said in February. “One of the great countries of the world, Brazil is as vibrant, dynamic and culturally diverse as anywhere on the planet and we cannot wait to experience the warmth and passion of its people during our visit.”

The NFL schedule features seven international games during the 2025 season, with three of them taking place in London. 

Two of the London games will be held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — the Minnesota Vikings against the Cleveland Browns on October 5, and the Denver Broncos against the New York Jets on October 12 — while the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars will play at Wembley Stadium on October 19. 

The Vikings also play in Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 28.

Berlin will host the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts on November 9 and the international schedule wraps up with the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins going head-to-head in Madrid on November 16.

The Chiefs and Chargers both arrived in Brazil earlier this week, with some of the biggest stars in the NFL gushing about the opportunity to help expand the reach of the league. 

“We’re trying to take this game worldwide,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce told reporters on Thursday, September 4. “We’re so fortunate that Brazil’s had the interest of wanting to see more of the NFL.”

Kelce, 35, added, “It’s so fun to see everybody get excited about this game that we’ve loved since we were kids, man. To be able to go out here, showcase it in a good way and show everybody just how much we really love this game.”

The Chiefs and Chargers kick off exclusively on the NFL’s YouTube Channel and NFL+ Friday, September 5, at 8 p.m. ET.