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Aerial view of the Soccer Neo Quimica Arena that will host the NFL season opener between Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
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Aerial view of the Soccer Neo Quimica Arena that will host the NFL season opener between Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
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Cameron Dicker’s eyes grew wide and he began to talk excitedly about the Chargers’ trip to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He reeled off the names of his favorite Brazilian soccer players and said it would be an honor to play on the same grass at Corinthians Arena.
Keenan Allen’s soccer fandom couldn’t possibly match Dicker’s, but he said Brazil was his favorite national team and recalled two of the all-time greats in Neymar and Ronaldo. Allen’s excitement at playing the second NFL game in Brazil ended then and there. It was just a business trip for him.
Derwin James Jr. couldn’t focus on anyone or anything beyond the Chiefs, a team that’s beaten the Chargers in seven consecutive games. He wasn’t concerned about the nearly 12-hour flight or anything else. He eagerly awaited another showdown with the AFC West rival Chiefs.
The NFL dispatched the Chargers and Chiefs to Brazil to spread the gospel of American football in a nation consumed by soccer or futebol, as they say in Portuguese. They arrived on the heels of the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, who played the first league game in Sao Paulo last year.
Neither the trek to Brazil nor the lackluster playing surface at Corinthians Arena stopped the Eagles, who went on to defeat the Packers en route to a Super Bowl victory over the Chiefs, denying Kansas City a third consecutive championship. The Packers also advanced to the playoffs.
“We know we’re on a world stage,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters after the team’s arrival in Sao Paulo. “It’s the only (NFL) game played on Friday night to a worldwide audience, to the country of Brazil, to the city of Sao Paulo. We’re going to give it our very, very best.”
Harbaugh called it “an honor” to be picked to play in the game, even if it meant giving up one of nine home dates at SoFi Stadium and was against a team the Chargers haven’t defeated since Sept. 26, 2021, in Kansas City. The teams also played a game in Mexico City on Nov. 18, 2019.
“At its core, this is a big game for us,” Harbaugh said. “This is huge. You want to start off your season on the right foot and that’s what we’ve prepared for. We’ve been working very hard for this game. We’re ready to have that pay off with a great performance on Friday night.”
In fact, the Chargers got a jump on the rest of the NFL by starting training camp July 17 and playing the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on July 31. They made it clear they were in Brazil to defeat the Chiefs, end their streak and get the season off to a roaring start.
Experiencing the sights, sounds and flavors of Sao Paulo was not the reason for the trip. The Chargers said they could return another day to visit as tourists, as soccer fans. This was a working trip, one they were prepared to make a successful one after more than seven weeks of preparation.
“It’s sweet, I’m pumped,” said Dicker, the Chargers’ kicker. “I wish we had more time so I could go watch some (soccer) games and do some (tourist) things. To be able to play in one of these stadiums is going to be pretty legit for us. It’s going to be awesome to see the atmosphere these fans bring to the stadium.”
Allen, a wide receiver who re-signed with the Chargers after spending one season with the Chicago Bears, wasn’t concerned about when or where they would face the Chiefs. It didn’t matter if it was Inglewood or Kansas City or Sao Paulo, he said, “This is where we’ve got to play, this is what it is.”
Playing against the Chiefs only heightened the trip, as far as James was concerned. He was looking forward to another matchup with the Chiefs, in general, and with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, in particular. It seems to bring out the best in James, despite the Chargers’ losing streak.
“They’re a great team, love playing them,” said James, a safety.
James said he wasn’t buying the quiet whispers that the Chiefs were on the decline after a remarkable run under the leadership of Kelce, Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes that includes three Super Bowl victories in five seasons and nine consecutive AFC West championships.
“No, I don’t buy anything,” James said. “People say that stuff about us, too.”
