Dallas Cowboys Announce 'First-Ever' South America Game in Team History

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Feb 5, 2026 8:06 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys are not playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. The last time the Cowboys played in the big game was in 1996 when Troy Aikman led them to their fifth title in franchise history.

This season, the Cowboys didn’t even make the NFL playoffs. They missed the postseason for a second consecutive year after finishing the season with a 7-9-1 record. They ranked second in the NFC East behind the Philadelphia Eagles and 12th in the conference.

The Cowboys are now looking ahead to the 2026 season. In fact, the team made an exciting announcement on Thursday.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4).© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The NFL has put in a lot of effort into growing football outside the United States. The main proponent of this objective is the NFL International Games. Last season, seven regular-season games were played across five countries, the most in league history. Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany and France all hosted games in 2025.

The league further expanded the International Games for 2026. Next season, nine games will be played abroad. The NFL will return to Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France. For the first time in league history, Australia will also host a regular-season game.

The Cowboys announced on Thursday that they will be part of the NFL’s 2026 global initiative. For the first time in team history, Dallas will head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a regular-season game.

The ‘Boys are Brazil bound pic.twitter.com/7O3d7SNspy
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) February 6, 2026

“The Cowboys are headed overseas for the first time since 2014 and will play their first-ever game in South America with a scheduled game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,” read an excerpt from the team’s announcement.

This marks just the second overseas game for the Cowboys. In 2014, they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, 31-17.

The NFL has not yet announced the date or Dallas’ opponent for the game. However, it will be played at the iconic Maracanã Stadium, which can hold crowds of 150,000 or more.

This will also be the first time Rio de Janeiro will host an NFL game. Previous contests in Brazil were played in São Paulo.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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