The Dallas Cowboys are packing their passports again. The franchise is headed to Rio de Janeiro this fall for a regular-season game at the iconic Maracanã Stadium, and local reporting says the opponent and date are already coming into focus. According to The Dallas Morning News, the Baltimore Ravens are the likely Week 3 opponent, per a person familiar with the plans. If that holds, it would be Dallas' first regular-season game abroad since 2014 and the NFL's first at Maracanã.
League and team confirmations
The league has already planted its flag in Brazil. The NFL announced a multiyear commitment to stage regular-season games in Rio and confirmed that Maracanã will host the 2026 contest, according to NFL. The league says participating teams, date and kickoff times will be revealed later as part of its broader international slate.
On the team side, Dallas Cowboys officials have confirmed the club will be part of the Brazil game, while emphasizing that the opponent and date will not be announced until closer to the full schedule release.
Local reporting on opponent and timing
While the league keeps its cards close, local reporters are already connecting dots. As detailed by The Dallas Morning News, a person familiar with the planning said the Cowboys are likely to face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. The outlet noted that the matchup would mark the first NFL regular-season game in Rio at Maracanã. The report was published April 1, 2026.
Why Week 3 makes sense
The rumored Week 3 slot lines up neatly with the league's TV playbook. Industry coverage from Sports Business Journal reported that the Rio matchup is likely to land in a Week 3, 4:25 p.m. ET national window to maximize domestic viewership. The outlet also noted that the NFL is packaging its international games across different platforms and markets, which helps determine which weeks and networks get each contest.
Cowboys' international history
This is not Dallas' first rodeo overseas, but it has been a while. The Cowboys' only prior regular-season game outside the United States was a 31-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in 2014, according to Sky Sports.
Most of the Cowboys' other foreign trips have come in the form of preseason exhibitions rather than games that count in the standings, a pattern the league leaned on during the American Bowl era and beyond, as outlined by ESPN.
Maracanã and Brazil's appetite for the NFL
For Brazil, the matchup is about much more than a one-off spectacle. Maracanã will stage the country's first NFL regular-season game in Rio, and the league says Brazil is home to roughly 36 million NFL fans, making it a top-priority market, according to NFL. League and city officials have pitched the game as both a tourism magnet and a way to deepen fan initiatives such as NFL Flag across the country.
What fans should expect next
For now, there are still plenty of moving parts. Logistics, broadcast windows and ticketing remain subject to change, and Dallas Cowboys officials say the opponent, date and kickoff time will be announced closer to the NFL schedule release in May.
Fans eyeing a Brazilian road trip might want to tap the brakes until the league makes things official, since shifting a home game overseas requires significant travel planning, security coordination and stadium prep.
If The Dallas Morning News report holds up, a Cowboys-Ravens clash at Maracanã would instantly become one of the 2026 season's marquee international games. Until the NFL posts the official schedule, though, the matchup and date remain unofficial. This story will be updated when the league confirms the teams and kickoff details.
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