Maracana Grounds Crew Races the Clock Before Ravens-Cowboys in Rio
The short version
- The Ravens-Cowboys matchup Sunday is the NFL's first game in Rio de Janeiro.
- Crews were still grooming the Maracana's natural grass Saturday, cutting high patches by hand.
- The NFLPA has experts monitoring traction and stability; the league added stitching in response.
- Brazil has hosted NFL games since 2024, both previously at Sao Paulo's NeoQuimica Arena.
- The game is one of a record nine international NFL games this season.
Baltimore and Dallas meet Sunday at Maracana Stadium in the first NFL game played in Rio de Janeiro, with the natural grass surface still being groomed a day before kickoff.
Groundskeepers at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana Stadium spent Saturday cutting and refining the playing surface, with kickoff between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys less than a day and a half away. Some crew members trimmed patches of overgrown grass by hand with scissors, work expected to wrap up several hours before the teams take the field Sunday. It will be the first NFL game ever staged in Rio.
The grass at the Maracana has drawn scrutiny for close to two weeks. A demanding Brazilian soccer calendar has left the surface in rough condition, and local clubs Flamengo and Fluminense each use the venue for home matches at least once per week, adding to the wear.
On Friday, the executive director of the NFL Players Association said specialists hired by both the league and the union have been keeping tabs on the field ahead of Sunday's contest. The union's consultants are specifically concerned that loose grass could cause excessive slipping, with questions centering on traction and stability. In response, the league added extra stitching to hold the turf together.
Nick Pappas, the NFL's field director, expressed confidence earlier in the week that the surface would not pose problems for players. Speaking with reporters Saturday, he said further fixes had been carried out after the union raised its issues. "Things check out," Pappas said. "No need to worry."
Brazil is not new territory for the league, which has staged games there since 2024 — though both previous matchups were held at NeoQuimica Arena, a 48,000-seat stadium in Sao Paulo. The turf drew complaints during that first Brazil game, prompting Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers players to switch cleats mid-contest to deal with the slipping.
The two venues differ in another key respect: the Maracana surface is entirely natural grass, while NeoQuimica Arena blends natural and synthetic materials — a combination Brazilian soccer players consider the finest pitch in the country. Sunday's matchup also forms part of a record nine international games on the NFL calendar this season.
Both teams arrived in Rio on Friday after flights of roughly ten hours and were slated to get their first look at the stadium later Saturday. Around the city, sunny 80-degree Fahrenheit (28 Celsius) weather had many residents and visitors headed to the beach rather than focusing on football. Rio's tourist appeal, unlike Sao Paulo's, has attracted a fresh wave of NFL fans from across South America, and sights including Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue have seen American and local fans mixing among the crowds.
Juan Olmedo, a 61-year-old tourist from Chile and a Denver Broncos supporter, said the game drew him to the city but so did Rio itself. He noted that the Sao Paulo edition lacked this added draw, since visitors there came mainly for football and little else.
Fans can watch the Ravens face the Cowboys on Sunday, September 27 at 4:25 PM EDT from Maracanã Stadium, with the game airing on CBS.
Games to watch
