The Philadelphia Eagles jersey for Week 1 will have a different look to it than fans have grown accustomed to seeing. When the team takes the field for the NFL's first-ever game in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers, they won't be wearing the traditional green uniform that they were for home games.
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Instead, they'll trade in their green helmet for one in black, their green jerseys will be white with black numbering and be finished with black pants.
The reason? Brazil has an unspoken ban on home teams wearing green in Corinthians Stadium for soccer games due to it being the colors of their rivals. The home team that plays in the stadium, Corinthians, wear black, and their main rival, Palmeiras, don green. The Eagles are opting to pay homage to that tradition with the black look. The Packers will also follow suit wearing their usual home green jerseys despite being the away side, just as Palmeiras would.
You've NEVER seen this combo before@FanDuel | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/LUf7ZH2JdU
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 30, 2024
Previously, the NFL disputed this idea when it was first brought up, though the original rumor hinted at green not being allowed altogether and that it was because of gang affiliation.
The league announced its first-ever game in South America last December as part of its continued efforts to broaden the game on a global scale. The Sao Paulo game will be the first of five international games this season.
So far, though, the Brazil experience hasn't been a favorable one for the players who are participating. A few Eagles players made comments on Thursday about all of the precautions and safety measures that have to be taken, and it's understandably putting a blemish on the situation. Eagles receiver A.J. Brown said the players had a meeting about the dos and donts once they're in the city, "After hearing all that stuff, I'm probably gonna be in my room."
In addition to the dangers that are being warned within the city, Brazil is dealing with wildfires across the country due to a "mega drought." The Associated Press had a headline explaining that people in the Amazon are "choking on smoke." None of that sounds good, and it certainly makes for less-than-ideal conditions to send two teams in to play a football game.
The two teams are set to face one another on Friday, Sept. 6 in the nationally televised game that will be the second game of the season following the Chiefs-Ravens game the night before.
