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The Eagles and the Packers will be the first NFL teams to play a game in Brazil when they head down to the country for a showdown in September, but they could be facing an unexpected issue thanks to the color of their jerseys.
It’s been more than 15 years since the NFL launched the International Series by having the Giants and Dolphins face off in London in 2007, and since then, the league has ramped up its efforts to grow the game around the world while gradually expanding its domain.
In 2016, Mexico City hosted the first of the four games that have taken place inside Estadio Azteca to date, and in 2022, Germany was welcomed into the fold with a contest in Munich a year before a couple more were held in Frankfurt.
On September 6th, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers will check off another box by kicking off their regular season schedule at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paolo, and their game in Brazil will mark the first time the NFL has made its way to South America.
That venue is typically home to a different type of football, as it serves as the home of the soccer team that’s officially known as “Sport Club Corinthians Paulista,” a Brasileirão Serie A squad with a history stretching back more than a century.
As CBS Sports notes, Corinthians are fierce crosstown rivals with Palmeiras to the point where Arena Corinthians bans players and fans from rocking their primary color—green—inside the stadium. As you may have surmised by now, that could potentially present a bit of an issue when you consider the Eagles and the Packers are both known for that particular shade.
Now, I’m going to assume the NFL is in a position to get the stadium to grant it an exemption for an international event where it will be prominently featured. As the outlet notes, the Eagles could theoretically wear their black jerseys (which are still paired with a green helmet) and have the Packers go with white, but it’s very hard to imagine this is going to become a major issue.
It also seems pretty unlikely the stadium will ban fans who decide to wear a green jersey to the game, but if you’re heading down to Brazil, you might want to err on the side of caution and bring a white one just in case.