Thousands of Eagles fans will migrate down to Brazil throughout the week for the first-ever NFL game played in South America against the Packers on Friday night.
While American fans will bring their energy and excitement, they will be met by Brazilian fans who are just as passionate as them about football. Yes, American football.
Ale Branco and Renan Oliveira run the EaglesBrasil Instagram account, a community for Brazilian Eagles fans which has more than 7,000 followers.
Oliveira got into football when he was in high school, learning about the history through movies. The more he saw, the more engaged his curiosity became before he picked the Eagles after he saw the passion of the team and its fan base. Branco fell in love with the Eagles after playing with them on NFL 2K2 – he went with the Eagles first because of his love for Sixers legend Allen Iverson. The first game he ever watched was the Eagles NFC Championship victory over the Falcons in 2004.
"I started to know other people that knew NFL and watched the NFL here in Brazil like Renan and other guys and we all got together because of the Eagles," Branco said.
The two have been organizing events – such as the Bird No Brasil (which translates to Birds in Brazil) on Thursday night that will celebrate fans and the team with a party including special attractions. They also have been promoting the game and preparing for fans to come to their home city of São Paulo.
The Birds No Brasil, with the help of the Eagles, will have a DJ, an alumni appearance from Connor Barwin, Eagles cheerleaders, SWOOP, Eagles themed activities and much more for fans to connect and learn more about the culture of the city and the Brazilian NFL fans.
"It is a city that is full of culture, it's a place where people can share experiences. It's going to be very fun for people coming here from America. It's going to be a very learning-filled experience, not only about a different culture, but also how fans experience this sport in a different way," Oliveira said.
"It was really fun when the Eagles announced it, because I feel that Brazilian fans are just like Eagles fans. We are passionate, and we want the best on the field. Philly fans are going to feel very welcomed, because they're going to see a very similar supporting of fans just like we have here."
While South America is known well for its love of soccer, their fans may surprise the players with how well they know football come Friday night.
The NFL has continued to grow and evolve outside of the United States and the Brazilian fans are more than ready to cheer on their teams. Branco and Oliveira joined a large group of friends at a pub for watch parties for all of the Eagles games, something they started doing when the Eagles made the Super Bowl in 2017. The group went so crazy over Alshon Jeffrey's touchdown that they accidentally broke down a wall in the bar. They even have a friend who named his child after Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles.
"Most of us, we grew up as soccer fans and every one of us went to games. We cheered for our teams, we learned the chants, we learned how to fire up the crowds. Basically, the main difference between the London games and Munich games is you're going to see a crowd very similar to Mexico City crowds, which is, they adopt a team and start cheering for them," Branco said. "I can tell you that when the Rocky music starts in the game, because I know there's going to be all the videos for the Eagles team, everyone except for Packers fans will cheer for the Eagles and they will do a lot of noise and bring the noise when its third down. We have a culture of football established here already, not only the soccer culture, we have more than 40 million fans and everyone is watching the games every Sunday, so they know what they're watching."
For the Brazilian fans, they are excited to talk to fans from Philadelphia about their own history as fans, as well as the history of Eagles fans throughout the years. They want the visiting fans to see how excited they are for the season and share that with American fans.
"We want to share this excitement for the season. We want them to know how excited we are. We just want this passion to be shared," Oliveira said.
While the Eagles' goal is to travel down there, pull out of victory, and head back home, the players understand the magnitude of this game and just how unique of an opportunity it is not only for them, but for the NFL as a whole.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Something to be very excited about – the international stage. And Brazil, from what I've heard, is a very amazing place, a beautiful place, and a very, very passionate place as well when it comes to sports and their fans. And so, I'm excited to get a taste of that," Jalen Hurts said about the game at his Sunday afternoon press conference.
Saquon Barkley, who will be playing his first game as an Eagle in front of the Brazilian fans, knows the role he and the team play in continuing to grow the sport outside of America and he is excited to show out in front of the new crowd.
"It's great. I'm just so thankful for the opportunity to be able to do something that no one in NFL has ever done before," Barkley said. "I think that's kind of getting lost in all the conversation about us going to Brazil and not saying from our guys in our locker room, but whether it's social media, all the things you see. We get to do something special. We get a chance to expand the game, grow the game, grow the NFL brand, and grow your personal brand, too. So excited to have fans that are going to travel out there and support us, and also excited to go out there and try to make some new fans too."
For the Brazilian fans, this game is more than just a football game being played in their country. They hope to expand the sport within Brazil and want the NFL to continue hosting games in their cities going forward beyond the Eagles vs. Packers.
"What I expect the most for NFL fans is wanting to come back. The main goal for Brazilian fans is receiving everybody well and make NFL come back next year with another game. I don't know if it will be an Eagles game, if it is, well, we're here for it, but I think everyone wants to deliver a great experience for who's coming down here," Branco said. "Everybody here will be treated really, really well."
Branco's message to fans? Simple:
"I want everybody to know that when you come down to Brazil and watch the game and enjoy everything, you understand that it's bigger than football. Everybody will be around this to make everyone feel welcome and enjoy it." – Written by Liam Wichser
