Chargers in Brazil: Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 Game in São Paulo

Feb 19, 2025 at 12:58 PM

Eric Smith

Editorial Director

The Bolts are going to Brazil!

The Chargers announced Wednesday that they have been selected as the NFL's designated team for a regular-season game in São Paulo. This marks the second straight year the NFL has played a game in Brazil.

Here is everything you need to know about the Chargers playing in Brazil.

When is the game? And who are the Chargers playing?

The Chargers will open the 2025 season with a Week 1 game in São Paulo on Friday, September 5.

However, the Chargers opponent and kickoff time will be announced in conjunction with the release of the full 2025 NFL schedule this spring.

Tickets for the game will also go on sale at a later date.

Who are the possible opponents?

Because the Chargers have been selected as the designated team for Brazil, they will be the home team in São Paulo.

This means the Bolts will play one of nine possible opponents down in South America.

The Chargers, of course, are slated to host their three AFC West foes — the Broncos, Chiefs and Raiders — in 2025.

The Bolts are also slated for home game against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts from the AFC South, plus the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders from the NFC East.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings are the final two home opponents for the Chargers in 2025.

Of note, the Chargers will still play eight home games at SoFi Stadium in the upcoming season.

Where will the Chargers play?

The Chargers and their unknown opponent will play at Arena Corinthians, which is in São Paulo and opened in May of 2014.

The stadium has a seating capacity of 47,252, making it the 13th-largest stadium in Brazil.

Arena Corinthians hosted six matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, including the opening match on June 12. Temporary seats were added to the stadium to meet the World Cup minimum requirement of 65,000.

Arena Corinthians also hosted 10 men's and women's soccer matches at the 2016 Summer Olympics, including the women's bronze-medal match.

The stadium is also known as Neo Química Arena because of a sponsorship with a Brazilian-based pharmaceutical company.

Who currently plays at Arena Corinthians?

The stadium is home to Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, a soccer team otherwise known as SC Corinthians.

The team plays in the Brazilian Serie A League, which is the country's top tier for soccer.

SC Corinthians has won the Brazilian Serie A League seven times, most recently in 2017.

What playing surface does Arena Corinthians have?

Arena Corinthians features a hybrid playing surface called GrassMaster, which is a product that combines perennial Ryegrass with artificial fibers.

How big is São Paulo?

São Paulo is the capital city of the state of São Paulo as both share a name.

São Paulo is home to more than 22 million people, making it the fifth-largest city in the entire world. For context, the population of Los Angeles is roughly 3.8 million and the population of the greater LA area is more than 18 million.

São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil, the Americas, and both the Western and Southern Hemispheres.