SAO PAULO — “God, I’ve missed this a lot!”
A younger Chiefs fan has a brilliant smile on her face on the crowded subway practice in Sao Paulo, Brazil, patiently ready to reach on the Itaquera station. That’s the ultimate cease of line 3, the place a whole bunch of followers will disembark for the highly-anticipated Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas Metropolis Chiefs NFL recreation on the Neo Quimica Area.
Half of that practice is crammed with 9-to-5 employees who wouldn’t be capable of afford a ticket to the sport with their month-to-month wage. “Whoever stated two strong objects can’t occupy the identical place on the identical time doesn’t know this line,” one other one claps again.
The practice has turn into a sea of coloured jerseys, an inconceivable scene in a spot the place black-and-white jerseys from supporters of superpopular soccer group Corinthians take over the realm a minimum of as soon as every week. Almost 1 million of them have been right here up to now in 2025, however proper now it’s time for the oval ball.
Brazilian aficionados, Chiefs/Chargers followers or not, have spent 1000’s for an opportunity to attend solely the second ever NFL match to happen in Brazil.
Exterior the stadium, earlier than the kick off, big helmets photograph ops and touchdown-catch play entertain the group whereas dozens of helicopters come and go each hour. “That must be Taylor Swift now,” one says for each chopper that lands.
And in a post-Brady Period. Mahomes is king. His identify is on the shirt of many of the followers strolling up the ramp for the stadium, and Travis Kelce is a distant second. For the informal ones attending the sector for the NFL hype, he’s merely Swift’s fiancee. Nothing incorrect there, too. Brady was Giselo for years in Brazil, so possibly he turns into Swifto after his liked one was anticipated to journey all the way in which to Sao Paulo to look at him carry out on the sphere.
A big group of musicians play samba to get issues began, and they’re joined by Inexperienced Day’s Tree Cool. He’s entrance and middle — and having the time of his life. When the nationwide anthems are carried out, “residence of the courageous” turns into “residence of the Chiefs”. Even in Brazil. Sure, Brazil certainly sounds just like the second residence of the Chiefs with a heat reception in a chilly evening.
Nearly all of the Sao Paulo crowd is pro-Kansas Metropolis. Chargers’ performs are showered with boos however celebrated if profitable. When are they attending to see touchdowns once more within the South American metropolis, even in opposition to the group you selected to like? It’s all enjoyable and good for these almost 50,000 followers, particularly because the metropolis of Sao Paulo doesn’t reinforce its no-alcohol rule for NFL video games as it’s for soccer matches, together with ones in that exact same area.
Chargers followers had the final chuckle in the long run with a gradual however dominant first half, together with a disappointing first quarter for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Chargers stopped Chiefs’ comeback try within the ultimate quarter to safe the 27-21 win.
From a enterprise standpoint, the NFL’s Brazilian expertise is already a confirmed success. Regardless of a bump in ticket costs in comparison with final 12 months’s recreation, up 35 % in sure areas of the stadium, it bought out in hours.
The NFL didn’t disclose the gate for the 2024 and 2025 video games in Brazil, nevertheless it’s truthful to say it fully demolished the gate for Brazil’s World Cup qualifying match the evening earlier than in Rio de Janeiro — Brazil vs. Chile drew 57.326 followers for a gate of $1,730,000.
There have been fewer followers on the NFL recreation because the stadium just isn’t as large as Maracana, however the least expensive NFL ticket was costlier than the highest ticket for the soccer match. The worth was 11 occasions that quantity for some areas of Neo Quimica Area, which means the NFL would simply triple or quadruple the Brazil-Chile gate.
Media curiosity was large, too, with 280 reporters credentialed for the NFL recreation. In Rio de Janeiro, for a a lot fashionable sport within the nation, 513 professionals coated Brazil’s 3-0 win with gamers from everywhere in the world, together with stars from Chelsea, Barcelona, Liverpool and PSG. Soccer — or futebol, as they name it down there — remains to be the No. 1 ardour, however soccer is gaining floor 12 months after 12 months.
In 2024, Inexperienced Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles set the attendance document for the stadium at 47,236, and town of Sao Paulo stated it prompted a optimistic impression to the native financial system of $61.9 million. Gerrit Meier, head of NFL Worldwide, informed the native media earlier this week that the NFL is “right here to remain” as Brazil video games have turn into a “mini Tremendous Bowl” by way of manufacturing.
Followers show a large tifo behind the Chiefs bench proper earlier than the sport began, asserting they’re “The nation of soccer” now.
They’re proper — even when for one evening solely.
