ACC Matchup in Rio Will Mark First FBS Game in South America

South America will host its first FBS college football game next season.

NC State and Virginia will face off Aug. 29 at Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Week 0 matchup will count toward the ACC standings as the conference plays nine league games next year. Virginia will be the designated home team.

An ESPN network will broadcast the game, dubbed “College Football Brasil,” organized by college sports revenue-generation company Athlete Advantage, live events company Brasil Sports Business, and local government entities. 

The NFL is also playing its debut game in Rio in 2026, but that will be across town at the 78,000-seat Maracanã Stadium, which is home to Brazilian soccer clubs Flamengo and Fluminense, and has hosted top events of the 2014 FIFA men’s World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. A date and matchup for that game have not been set yet.

Nilton Santos Stadium has a capacity of roughly 49,000 and is home to the Botafogo FR soccer team. It also hosted some Olympic events in 2016.

New Borders

The Brazil game comes as college football continues to play more games internationally.

NC State–Virginia will be played on the same day as the North Carolina–TCU matchup in Dublin, marking the fifth consecutive edition of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic since its relaunch in 2022. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark in July said he is “all in” on international expansion as his league looks to become a “global conference.”

This summer, Michigan explored moving its 2026 season opener against Western Michigan from Ann Arbor to Frankfurt, Germany, but ultimately decided to keep it at the Big House in Ann Arbor. 

The Holiday Bowl, traditionally an ACC–Pac-12 matchup annually played in San Diego, considered moving this upcoming postseason’s game to Saudi Arabia, but it did not follow through with the proposal.