The Bears last played overseas against the Raiders in 2019.
Naomi Baker/Getty Images
The NFL is going to Brazil.
Owners voted Wednesday to add a game in São Paulo in 2024, marking the fifth continent in which the league has played. The NFL will play three games in London again next year as well as a game in Munich.
The league will expand from five to eight international games starting in 2025 after a vote at its meeting in Dallas.
With the exception of the AFC’s Jaguars, who have a partnership to play in London, the NFL is likely to assign NFC home games to go abroad next year. Since the league switched to 17 regular season games, it has alternated which conference has nine home games every other year. The NFC is set to have nine home games next year.
The Bears were thought to be a favorite had the league added a game in Spain for 2024; they were assigned the United Kingdom and Spain as international home market areas two years ago, allowing them to sell sponsorships in the region. They could still land in England, Germany or Brazil, either as a home or visiting team.
The Bears last played internationally in 2019, when they lost to the Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.