The NFL will play a regular-season game in Brazil in 2024 and nearly double the international schedule in 2025, marking a new phase in its international growth strategy. Brazil will be its fourth foreign country and South America is the second continent outside North America to host the NFL.

The Brazil venue will be São Paulo’s Corinthians Arena, home to Brazilian soccer team the SC Corinthians. Corinthians Arena has hosted matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. The matchup is unclear, but NFC teams have the extra home game in next year’s schedule, so the “home team” in the game will come from the NFC. Also, the Dolphins are the only team currently with team commercial rights in Brazil, though that does not necessarily mean they’ll be involved.

Also today, NFL owners voted to dramatically expand the international inventory starting in 2025 under a resolution making teams give up a home game every four years, as SBJ reported exclusively last week. That means there will be 8 foreign games annually instead of 4, not including the Jaguars’ separately negotiated deals with Wembley Stadium in London.

“Becoming a global sport is a major strategic priority for the league and 32 teams," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “Increasing international game inventory allows us to grow our global presence and share our game with exciting new markets to connect with more fans around the world."

Sao Paulo beat out Madrid, Spain, in an NFL evaluation of where to head next. The league took international growth very gradually at first, playing in London and Mexico City for years before looking elsewhere. But Germany and Brazil have been added in just two years.

The ’24 schedule will include five international games: Two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, one Jaguars game at Wembley Stadium in London, one at Allianz Arena in Munich, and the new Sao Paulo game.

The Brazil venue will be Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena, home to Brazilian soccer team the SC CorinthiansGetty Images

The NFL expects to announce this afternoon that L.A. and SoFi Stadium have won hosting duties for Super Bowl LXI in February 2027, just five years since it hosted its first Super Bowl. This would be the quickest return to the same venue for the Super Bowl since Miami hosted the game in 2006 and then 2009, an indication of the league’s satisfaction with the highly profitable debut at SoFi in 2022. Rams COO Kevin Demoff first declared the stadium’s interest in the game at the CAA World Congress of Sports in April. The Super Bowl is now set for the following years:

2024: Las Vegas
2025: New Orleans
2026: Santa Clara, Calif.
2027: L.A.

The new, enclosed Nissan Stadium in Nashville is projected to open in February 2027 and has been rumored to be a candidate for hosting rights in 2028.

The Cardinals’ home ballpark will continue to be called Busch Stadium through at least 2030 as part of a naming-rights deal extension announced today. The agreement between the team and longtime partner Anheuser-Busch “maintains A-B’s exclusivity in all alcoholic beverage advertising across all Cardinals radio and television broadcasts, promotions, use of the team logo and stadium signage.” A-B also keeps the rights to “advertise in Ballpark Village over the next five years.” Terms were not announced. Meanwhile, the Cardinals also announced a new “all-inclusive seating area” in left field named in honor of former star Albert Pujols’ career home run total. The Budweiser 703 Club will debut next season (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/13).

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore today said that a lease agreement with the Orioles is "'imminent' … after an agreed-to lease" deal between the team and the state was halted last week. The Orioles' lease at Camden Yards expires on Dec. 31, and agreeing to a deal by then "would first require approval from the Maryland Stadium Authority board and then the Board of Public Works." The final scheduled Board of Public Works meeting of 2023 was today, but Treasurer Dereck Davis indicated that he "expects there will be another special meeting before the new year" (BALTIMORE SUN, 12/13).

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Today’s announcement of a framework agreement between Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the state of Virginia, city of Alexandria and real estate firm JBG Smith was celebrated as a momentous occasion, but the announcement is just the first step in the process which U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said began just seven to eight months ago. The agreement in principle passed Virginia’s Major Economic Investment (MEI) Project Approval Commission unanimously Monday night and now faces approval from the full General Assembly in Richmond and local officials in Northern Virginia.

The earliest the legislature can take up the deal would be when the next legislative session begins Jan. 10, and that session is slated to run through early March. No timetable was given on when local governments planned to take up the bill, but Stephanie Landrum, President & CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, said that she expects both the state and local levels to spend all of 2024 vetting the details of the deal.

MSE had said it hoped to break ground on the new 22,000-seat arena in 2025 and have the Capitals and Wizards move in by 2028. MSE’s lease on Capital One Arena expires in 2027, making them free to move the teams at that point.

This marks the most recent attempt by Virginia to bring a pro sports team to the state. The legislature in 2022 proposed a bill to create the Virginia Football Stadium Authority in hopes of bringing the Commanders to Northern Virginia, but it was later tabled due to controversies and issues surrounding the team and former owner Dan Snyder.

Manchester United's early exit from the Champions League leaves them "facing a financial hit" of more than $35M (all figures U.S.). Failing to reach the quarterfinals will cause a projected income hit of about $24.6M in "participation and performances fees and reduced TV pool payments." The club will also lose out on hosting two home games in the knockout round, costing them roughly $10.3M in "matchday income." ManU is also unable to "claw back any of that money through Europa League participation" because only teams that finish third in their Champions League group "are entered into the play-off for Europe's second-tier competition" (London TELEGRAPH, 12/13).

The Nerds candy brand will make its Super Bowl debut with a “30-second spot during the second quarter of the game, featuring the Nerds characters.” The spot, via Digitas, Chicago, feature Nerds Gummy Clusters. This is the first ad not just for Nerds, but also for parent company Ferrara Candy (ADWEEK, 12/13). In addition to CBS’s traditional broadcast, the ad also will run on Nickelodeon's “kid-friendly broadcast of the game, a seemingly valuable audience for a candy brand such as Nerds” (AD AGE, 12/13).

Ferrara Candy

The third season of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball will take place from Feb. 29-March 23, 2024, with all games at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. Twenty-five players, including Olympians, WNBA Champions and All-Stars, have already signed contracts to play (Athletes Unlimited).

USL Championship club Rhode Island FC inked a multiyear partnership with NESN as its official local broadcast partner. The club last week named Breeze Airways its front-of-jersey sponsor (Rhode Island FC).

Liverpool announced that "more than 57,000 fans will be in attendance for Sunday's Premier League meeting with Manchester United at Anfield -- marking their biggest attendance in half a century." The next stage of the planned phased opening of the new Anfield Road Stand "will see the expanded upper tier open to supporters for the very first time" (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 12/13).

Prospective Everton owners 777 Partners have "committed to fund working capital through to at least the end of January" as they await a "final decision on whether they have been given the green light for a takeover" (LIVERPOOL ECHO, 12/13).

Turkish club MKE Ankaragucu President Faruk Koca "has been arrested" after he "hit" referee Halil Umut Meler at the end of the Turkish Super Lig match against Caykur Rizespor. Meler was "taken to the hospital after the attack," with the Turkish Football Federation "suspending domestic football in the country indefinitely in the wake of the incident" (IRISH TIMES, 12/13).

More: 

• 'Whataboutery and intellectual somersaults': How fans grew to defend sportswashing.
• First question Tom Brady asked after being 'blown away' by Man City visit.

"It will create a domino effect, there will be more apples falling from the tree -- no question about it, because LIV continues to develop" -- LIV Golf Commissioner & CEO Greg Norman, on Jon Rahm's decision to join the Saudi-funded tour (BBC, 12/13).

"The Commanders are going to have to decide what they're going to do. Of course, we would engage in that discussion, but this is where our focus has been" -- Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on if today's announcement from MSE takes them out of the running for luring the Commanders (WASHINGTON POST, 12/13).

"I feel personally responsible for the situation that we're in. I also hope that the people I just talked to feel personally responsible, too. If they don't, that's their decision" -- Blues GM Doug Armstrong, referring to the players in the locker room, after firing coach Craig Berube (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/13).

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell congratulating São Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes on landing the 2024 game—“This is history.” pic.twitter.com/KZplJ1ud8V

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 13, 2023

If Adam Silver could get Draymond Green to punch someone every week, there’d be no need for an In-Season Tournament. Maximum online engagement, every time.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 13, 2023

Big ruling here. For the time being, the one-time transfer rule has been blocked and players can transfer multiple times without a waiver.

Curious if we see any football players jump in the portal as a result. https://t.co/opXWV1BfZV

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 13, 2023

Renovations of Kansas’ David Booth Memorial Stadium have begun https://t.co/h1q754cUK3

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 13, 2023

WeatherTech will sponsor SVG for 17 Xfinity races and four Cup races. It will also be a primary sponsor for Zane Smith in Cup, including the Daytona 500. pic.twitter.com/bnE80DgVmo

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 13, 2023

The planning for this seems very short-sighted. People already don’t like crossing the Potomac River for menial things and you’re expecting everyone to come over for games when there’s traffic gridlock worse than what we are accustomed to?

— Washingtonian Problems (@WashProbs) December 13, 2023

H-E-B x @spurs commercials are back! 📷 #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/gGD15GtGaV

— H-E-B (@HEB) December 13, 2023

#Dodgers will introduce Shohei Ohtani at a 3 pm PT (8 am Japan) news conference Thursday afternoon at the CF Plaza at Dodger Stadium. SportsNet LA will televise (and I suspect MLB Network will pick up at least parts)

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) December 13, 2023

The new PBR creative from actor Cole Hauser will debut tonight at a party that Hauser, who stars in CBS's "Yellowstone," will co-host with Kid Rock at the House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. A shorter 90-second version of the short film will be used for the CBS TV opener for PBR events. The Hauser-PBR partnership is the first time in PBR's 30-year history that an outside storyteller has collaborated with the organization.

91B --The number of global viewing hours for this season of ESPN's "College GameDay," a number that is roughly on par with the six-month total (Jan.-June) viewing hours for Netflix's "Drive to Survive" (92.3B hours) (X, 12/13).