The Los Angeles Chargers will kick off the 2025 NFL season in São Paulo, Brazil, in a historic matchup that will be the league’s first game streamed exclusively on YouTube, the NFL announced Tuesday. The move signals another major step in the NFL’s growing investment in digital platforms and global markets.
While the NFL confirmed the Chargers as the home team and YouTube as the exclusive broadcast partner, one detail was noticeably absent: their opponent. According to OzzyNFL, that missing piece will be none other than AFC West rival Kansas City. The defending division champions have won seven straight against LA and are among the NFL’s top television draws.
The anticipated September 5 showdown at Arena Corinthians marks the NFL’s return to Brazil and is one of seven international games on the 2025 slate. If confirmed, the matchup would deliver a high-profile kickoff to the season, albeit far from Los Angeles.
Chargers to Open 2025 Season in Brazil as NFL Expands Streaming Footprint with YouTube Exclusive
Last year, Kansas City’s star duo—quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce—helped headline the NFL’s Christmas Day debut on Netflix. The Chiefs’ matchup with the Raiders, combined with a second game between Houston and Baltimore, drew an average of 26.5 million viewers, making them the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history. Still, the ratings slightly lagged behind linear broadcasts: that same Chiefs-Raiders game drew 29.2 million viewers on CBS in 2023, the NFL’s highest Christmas Day audience since 1989.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have been part of the league’s streaming evolution as well. Last season, they faced the Arizona Cardinals in the first “Monday Night Football” game broadcast exclusively on ESPN+, though it was not part of the international series. That game, played during a doubleheader that also featured Tampa Bay and Baltimore, drew fewer than 2 million viewers, according to NBC’s Pro Football Talk—the NFL’s lowest viewership since 2008.
While taking a marquee rivalry game to Brazil removes a potential highlight from the Chargers’ home slate at SoFi Stadium, fans in Los Angeles will still have plenty to look forward to. The home schedule features the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, and a rising Washington Commanders squad headlined by San Bernardino native Jayden Daniels, the 2024 NFC Rookie of the Year, who led his team to their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991.
In addition to hosting division foes Las Vegas and Denver, the Chargers will also welcome Houston, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota. Road games include trips to AFC West rivals, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Dallas, the New York Giants, and Miami.
The full NFL schedule will be released Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT.
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