The planned debut of FBS college football in South America will have to wait.
A Week 0 matchup between ACC schools NC State and Virginia is being moved from Brazil back to the U.S. The game was scheduled for Aug. 29 at the 49,000-seat Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
“Following extensive review with operational partners and international stakeholders, the 2026 NC State at Virginia football game, originally scheduled to be played in Brazil, will be relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia, for this conference matchup,” the ACC said in a statement Wednesday. Virginia was the designated home team.
First announced in December, the landmark contest dubbed “College Football Brasil” was organized by college sports revenue-generation company Athlete Advantage, live events company Brasil Sports Business, and local government entities. An ESPN network was set to broadcast the game.
The ACC’s statement said the relocation “follows communication from Athlete Advantage, which informed the ACC and participating schools that the event could not be conducted.”
Fans who purchased tickets or travel packages for the NC State–Virginia game through the official College Football Brasil website will receive refunds, the ACC said. Those ticket offerings were selling for as much as $4,945—the price of a platinum package that included a six-day, five-night hotel stay, ground transportation, security, and other VIP amenities.
Ticket sales for the international college football contest “lagged,” sources told The Virginian-Pilot.
Previous Concerns
The NFL had to beef up its gameday security operations ahead of the league’s debut in Brazil in 2024—it played games in São Paulo each of the last two seasons and is playing in Rio for the first time this coming season; the Ravens and Cowboys will face off at the 78,000-seat Maracanã Stadium on Sept. 27
The full financial fallout of the move out of Brazil is unclear, but NC State is set to receive $1.5 million from Athletes Advantage for a “material breach” of agreement, according to the participation contract, which The Raleigh News & Observer obtained through a FOIA request.
NC State and Virginia are working with the NCAA and ESPN to confirm the game will remain on the originally scheduled date of Aug. 29, which is the Saturday of Week 0.
When reached for further comment by Front Office Sports, NC State and Virginia spokespeople deferred to Athletes Advantage, which did not immediately respond, nor did a spokesperson for the ACC.
North Carolina and TCU are still scheduled to open the 2026 season in Dublin as part of the Aer Lingus Classic. Michigan previously explored opening its 2026 season in Germany before ultimately deciding to keep that game at home.
In 2027, Syracuse and Wake Forest are set to kick off their seasons in a Week 0 matchup at BMO Field in Toronto. Canada most recently hosted a college football game in 2010, when the now-defunct International Bowl was held in Toronto at the Rogers Centre.
International expansion remains top of mind for many in college sports. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark last month told FOS he believes the conference can “win globally.”
