Week 3 in the NFL is going to be a special one for the Dallas Cowboys. For the first time in over a decade, the Cowboys are going to play a regular-season game outside the United States, but it could come at a hefty cost.

Roger Goodell wants to take the NFL to the whole world and will host eight more international matchups this season. One of these games is set to take place at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens. And based on the latest update, the game is going to take place, even with concerns around the playing surface. 

“An NFL spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the league is looking forward to the game in Rio,” Mark Maske of FOS wrote. “And, as with all international games, it has a plan in place to ensure a high-quality playing surface.”

Now, the problem here is the surface. The soccer team that usually plays in the stadium, Flamengo, even had players complaining about it. Their goalkeeper, Augustín Rossi, didn’t hide the state of the stadium.

“The way we play, it’s unbelievable that we’re playing on a field like this. Both penalty areas are bad as [expletive]. If you look at it, there are bumps everywhere. There’s still going to be an NFL game here during the international break. After that game, I hope the field is in better shape.” 

Another player from the same club had the same problem. Flamengo midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta further noted that the “field keeps getting worse” and that it’s “getting harder and harder to control the ball.” De Arrascaeta further emphasized that the field was unplayable.

So what is the problem? Well, the Maracanã Stadium fell into a state of neglect after the 2016 Summer Olympics. The field had dried up, seats were absent, and the inner hallways smelled like mold, per O Globo. It was practically a ghost town, with electricity being cut to the stadium after it incurred more than $930,000 in unpaid bills, per Reuters.

But then why would the NFL play in such a stadium? The short answer is the international outreach opportunity. Last year, Forbes wrote there were 36 million fans in Brazil, one of the largest groups outside the United States. That’s why visiting Rio de Janeiro was a priority for the league. 

However, with these reports coming in only a week before kickoff, it is not a promising picture for either team. Before the Cowboys-Ravens game, Flamengo takes on Bragantino this Sunday. That will only add to the wear-and-tear already reported by players.

Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that he had “no concerns” about the quality of the field. But realistically, considering the injury crisis the team is already in the middle of, a poor surface will just add on to the troubles. We already lost a safety and a cornerback on Sunday. That’s not even counting the existing injuries on the team.

More importantly, the NFL has had a rough experience in Brazil. In September 2024, the NFL hosted a game at Arena Corinthians Stadium in Brazil, with the Philadelphia Eagles winning 34-29 over the Green Bay Packers. But the talk of the night wasn’t the game, but rather the worse conditions of the playing field. Running back Saquon Barkley had to change cleats with longer spikes for more grip.

“I mean, y’all saw out there that it was kind of rough to get traction,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on. We’ve had that type of field before. They had to play on it as well. I’m just happy that we found a way to figure it out as a team and overcome it.”

Offensive tackle Lane Johnson also said it was “one of those fields where the top just came off pretty easy,” while tight end Dallas Goedert opted for the bigger seven-stud cleats to play the game after slipping while running a route during walkthrough.

Even NBA superstar LeBron James criticized the field, quoting: “Man this field s****!!!”

Perhaps that’s why team owner Jerry Jones sounded skeptical about the situation this time around, speaking plainly to the media.

“We’ll look at that and I know it’s the utmost concern to the league and the teams playing down there. We’ll obviously stay informed as we look to it and it’s front of mind now that we’ve gotten past the Washington Commanders.” 

While the NFL has promised it would make sure playing conditions are up to the mark, there is likely a backup plan in place, especially since the NFL has done it before. Back in 2018, when stadium conditions at the Estadio Azteca weren’t good enough to host the Los Angeles Rams against the Kansas City Chiefs, the game was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Similarly, we could see this game play out in Dallas. 

In any case, the NFL is really pushing the whole “Football is for All” motto with its international calendar. The Australia game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers saw a crowd of 111,021 inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, drawing 21.7 million viewers worldwide on Netflix. 

And the Rio game might not be any different.  Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes also thought of the NFL and the vibrant city as the “perfect match.” But that stance can shift if the NFL and the concerned authorities don’t act soon enough before the Week 3 game on September 27.