PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday found out who they'll be facing when they play the first-ever NFL game in Brazil later this year.
The NFL announced that the Birds' opponent in Sao Paulo, Brazil will be the Green Bay Packers. The game will be played on Friday, September 6 at Corinthians Arena.
It’ll be the first time in 54 years the NFL has played a game on Friday night of its opening weekend. The Los Angeles Rams hosted the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, Sept. 18, 1970.
The game will be exclusively streamed on Peacock, though broadcasts will also be available on NFL+ and on local TV networks.
The time of the kickoff will be announced at a later date.
The game is one of five international games on 2024 NFL schedule.
The NFL announced in February that the Eagles would be playing in Brazil, but it wasn't until this week that their opponent was announced. The league was reportedly deciding between the Packers and the Cleveland Browns.
Members of the Philadelphia media pointed out Wednesday that the NFL's choice isn't really fair to either team; the Packers and the Eagles compete in the same conference and will now be playing thousands of miles from the U.S.
The Birds are also sacrificing one of their eight home games and the inherent advantage that comes with playing before an always vocal Philly crowd.
Reporter Howard Eskin said giving the game to an AFC team would have been more fair to Philly.
"It’s a NFC conference game that is now not a real Eagles home game and could figure into a tie breaker with Green Bay in conference for playoffs," Eskin pointed out on X. "This is not fair to the Eagles."
In addition to the first-ever game on South American soil, the NFL will also play three games in London and one in Munich this season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will play one of the London games in Wembley Stadium, while the other London games will feature the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Carolina Panthers are one of the teams slated to play in Munich, Germany. Opponents for all four teams will be announced at a later date.