Green Bay Packers fans in Brazil thrilled to have game in São Paulo, saying: ‘We will be WILD’



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By Green Bay Press Gazette

By Richard Ryman

Green Bay Packers fans in Brazil thrilled to have game in São Paulo, saying: ‘We will be WILD’

Marcus Rovere of the Packers Brasil fan site gives fair warning about the Green Bay Packers playing the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo: “Prepare yourself, we will be WILD in this game.”

The Packers and Eagles will play Sept. 6 at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo. It is the first NFL game in South America and the season opener for both teams, who will each play their second regular-season international game.

Rovere, who lives in Porto Alegre, estimates there are 5 million Packers fans in Brazil, with more than 23,000 following their @PackersBR account on Twitter, now called X. The NFL estimates there are more than 35 million football fans in the country. The Packers and New England Patriots are thought to be the most popular teams.

“Soccer is very popular here, and our teams are just like the Packers. We don’t have an owner; the team belongs to the fans! Of course, being a winning team is a fact, too. People here are crazy about the NFL and even without playing in a Super Bowl in last 13 seasons, we still have a lot of new (Packers) fans every year,” Rovere wrote Wednesday morning to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, after the announcement was made.

Arena Corinthians, also known as NeoQuimica Arena, is home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians and hosted both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. The stadium has a capacity of about 47,000.

“The expectation is a crowded arena for the game,” said João Storer of Florianópolis. “São Paulo is the best city for this event, and for sure NeoQuimica Arena is the best Brazilian stadium. I’ve visited the stadium three times; it has a huge outside space for other events and tailgating.”

Because of the stadium’s size — Lambeau Field’s capacity is 81,000 — tickets are expected to be at a premium.

“The only concern that we have are the ticket prices,” said Storer, who hopes to find a Packers watch party near home if he can’t secure a ticket.

Visiting teams — which the Packers are for this contest — typically do not receive a ticket allotment for season ticket holders, so tickets are not available through the Packers. Ticket packages will be available through On Location, an official partner of the NFL, at onlocationexp.com/packersbrazil

Event USA in Ashwaubenon also is taking deposits for travel packages to the game, which company President Dennis Garrity said are in limited supply. The company provided packages to about 800 Packers fans for the game in London in 2022.

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“Regrettably, we’re not going to be able to offer that much space this year, so we believe we will have a sellout quite quickly,” Garrity said.

The flight to São Paulo is longer than to London, but the time zones are more forgiving. All of South America is east of Michigan, but São Paulo is only two hours ahead of Green Bay when daylight savings time is active in the United States.

With a population of 12.3 million, São Paulo is 1.5 times larger than New York or London, as populous as all of Illinois, and more than twice the size of Wisconsin. It has 50 times more residents than Brown County, and Metro São Paulo is 3,000 square miles, compared to Brown County’s 530.

“São Paulo is a New York-stylish city,” Rovere said. Like New York, São Paulo is a financial hub. It is the most important city in South America because of that, he said.

“It has some incredible museums, huge parks, one of the best restaurants in world and many nice people,” he said.

As with any large tourist city, visitors need to be aware of their surroundings. “Don’t trust everyone, keep things in a pocket, don’t walk alone and do some research about where you will be and the best transport options,” he said.

Rovere expects attendance at the game will heavily favor the Packers.

“We know that is gonna feel like a home game for the Packers,” Rovere said.

Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG