SAO PAULO — “God, I’ve missed this a lot!”
A younger Chiefs fan has a vibrant smile on her face on the crowded subway prepare 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 Enviornment.
Half of that prepare is full of 9-to-5 staff who wouldn’t have the ability to afford a ticket to the sport with their month-to-month wage. “Whoever stated two stable objects can not occupy the identical place on the identical time doesn’t know this line,” one other one claps again.
The prepare has change into a sea of coloured jerseys, an unbelievable scene in a spot the place black-and-white jerseys from supporters of superpopular soccer workforce Corinthians take over the realm at the very least as soon as every week. Almost 1 million of them have been right here to date 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.
Outdoors the stadium, earlier than the kick off, large helmets picture 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 title is on the shirt of a lot 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 fallacious 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 best way to Sao Paulo to look at him carry out on the sector.
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 heart — 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.
The vast majority 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 workforce you selected to like? It’s all enjoyable and good for these practically 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 snicker 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 remaining 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 yr’s recreation, up 35 % in sure areas of the stadium, it offered out in hours.
The NFL didn’t disclose the gate for the 2024 and 2025 video games in Brazil, but it surely’s truthful to say it utterly 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 is just not as huge as Maracana, however the most cost-effective NFL ticket was dearer than the highest ticket for the soccer match. The worth was 11 instances that quantity for some areas of Neo Quimica Enviornment, that means the NFL would simply triple or quadruple the Brazil-Chile gate.
Media curiosity was big, 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 all around the world, together with stars from Chelsea, Barcelona, Liverpool and PSG. Soccer — or futebol, as they name it down there — continues to be the No. 1 ardour, however soccer is gaining floor yr after yr.
In 2024, Inexperienced Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles set the attendance document for the stadium at 47,236, and the town of Sao Paulo stated it triggered a constructive affect 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 change into a “mini Tremendous Bowl” by way of manufacturing.
Followers show an enormous 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.
