Green Bay Packers fans traveling to Brazil this week will have a different experience than those who went to London in 2022.
London was familiar, if only from TV shows and movies, while Brazil is not well-known, exotic even. It's tropical, they speak Portuguese, and there are rumors of crime, disease and violent soccer fans.
Marcus Rovere, who administers the Packers Brasil page on X, formerly Twitter, begs to differ on the latter. "Everybody that comes to Brazil falls in love with Brazil," said Rovere, a Brazilian who fell in love with the Packers.
One thing Packers fans can count on, just like in London, is a lot of other Packers fans. Rovere expects about 75% of fans in the stadium will be Packers fans, and maybe 10% Philadelphia Eagles fans. "The Eagles have a fan base here, but not even close to what the Packers have," he said.
The game will be played in Neo Química Arena in São Paulo, which opened in 2014 for World Cup matches. It is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CDT Sept. 6, and is the first NFL game to be played in South America.
"I can assure that's the best structure here in Brazil," said Joao Storer, a college student in Florianopolis, about 425 miles south of São Paulo. "It's really beautiful. It has really good turf. The stadium has a huge outside area that's not common in Brazil, and we have a subway station about five minutes from there."
Linda Anderson of Sun Prairie looks forward to visiting Brazil. She and her husband booked the trip through Event USA in Ashwaubenon. It will include three days in Rio de Janeiro as well.
"We do travel some, but we have never been to South America and I'm pretty excited to go to Brazil. I'm not sure I ever would have gone if it wasn't for the game," Anderson said. "I expect it to be a good (environment) because I know there's a lot of Packers fans there. It is interesting to talk to people about how they feel about the Packers. That's kind of a fun part."
Also traveling from Wisconsin are Todd and Isabella Albrecht of Trevor. They were randomly selected by the Packers from among season-ticket holders to buy tickets. Isabella is a native of Brazil and has family in São Paulo, although that's not where she was raised. Their trip from Appleton to New York to São Paulo will take about 16 hours.
Football still trails soccer by a lot in popularity, but it is gaining. "Even in my hometown, you can see people playing football," Isabella Albrecht said. "There are way more people that understand the game and are interested in it."
The Packers are thought to be the most popular NFL team in Brazil, and few dispute the claim. Joining them among the more popular teams are the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The one thing they have in common is success. With 31 years of mostly winning seasons and a Super Bowl victory in that stretch, new Packers fans keep signing on. The Packers have the added advantages of team colors that match the Brazilian flag and an ownership structure similar to those of soccer teams.
Marcus Rovere lives in Porto Alegre, about 500 miles from Sao Paulo, the same distance as Green Bay to St. Louis or Cincinnati. The first football game he watched was the 2007 NFC championship game between the Packers and New York Giants, Brett Favre's last game for Green Bay.
"One reason (the Packers are so popular) is this connection with soccer teams and how we Brazilians feel part of the teams," Rovere said. "We are associated with the (soccer teams) and we pay a small bill each month to be part of the team. And, of course, the colors help."
Neo Química Arena is small by NFL standards. It's official capacity is between 47,000 and 49,000, depending on your source, although it was expanded to 68,000 for the World Cup. Chicago's Soldier Field is the smallest NFL stadium with a capacity of 61,500.
Alas, it was not big enough for Storer who was unable to secure a ticket. He'll be watching from home, like most Packers fans around the world.
"I'm probably going to invite some friends and watch at home. It’s a Friday Night, so we can make something special," he said.
Rovere told himself he'd get to the game, even if he had to sell his house. He was joking. Maybe. But in the end he got credentials for the game, so the house is safe.
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The Albrechts look forward to visiting Brazil again. They haven't been since before the COVID-19 year 2020.
Isabella became a Packers fan after meeting Todd, although her timeline isn't far off from other Brazilians discovering American football, as opposed to that other football, known in the U.S. as soccer.
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"When I first went to a football game here, I told Todd, 'how the heck do all the people sit in the same spot?' In Brazil, they have the side of one team and the side of the other team, with a huge empty spot in between because there are always fights," Isabella said.
That wouldn't necessarily be out of the question with Eagles fans in attendance, Todd Albrecht said. "We went to a Packers-Eagles game (in Philadelphia). Packers fans from Philadelphia against Eagles fans from Philly and one guy threw another guy down the stairs."
There have been rumors that Packers fans wouldn't be allowed to wear their colors in the stadium because they are similar to the colors of the home soccer team's arch rival. The rumors have been debunked, but still persist on social media, since nothing there ever really dies.
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"It's not going to be a Brazilian game," Rovere said. "It's going to be a really international football game."
Isabella Albrecht said the game is important to Brazil, so security will be sufficient.
"They want people to come back," she said. "I know for a fact the city is preparing themselves to provide the experience for all of the people there. It's money coming to the city and it's money coming to the country as well."
Isabella said like any other large city, São Paulo's ethnic neighborhoods offer all varieties of restaurants.
"Brazil is very well known for our barbecue, our churrascarias," Isabella said. "Because of the price of the dollar, it's expensive to get to the country, but it's very cheap when your get there ... even in like the most expensive restaurants."
Todd Albrecht said if visitors show a little effort to communicate, Brazilians will respond, "even if all you have is a translator book in your hand. They appreciate your effort and then they'll be super friendly right back to you. They try to treat you like family."
Contact Richard Ryman atrryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at@RichRymanPG,on Instagram at@rrymanPGor on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG
