YouTube to Stream NFL’s Week 1 Brazil Game for Free

For the first time ever, YouTube is broadcasting an NFL game internationally for free. The first Week 1 game of the season, which will take place in Brazil on Sept. 5, will be available to watch in its entirety across YouTube and YouTube TV.

The game will take place at the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil, and will kick off the 2025 International Games. The Los Angeles Chargers will play an opponent that will be announced on Wednesday when the 2025 NFL Schedule is released.

This is major news as live sports become more and more enmeshed with streaming. Local NFL games have always been available to watch for free through broadcast TV licenses. This news, paired with Tubi’s streaming of the Super Bowl earlier this year, continues the league’s trend of prioritizing streaming as well as international expansion of the sport.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with YouTube to bring this year’s Brazil game to a worldwide audience,” Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, said in a statement to press. “YouTube and YouTube TV have been incredible partners of the NFL for several years and boast an immense global reach, and we look forward to Week 1 in São Paulo.”

“Last year, people spent over 350 million hours watching official NFL content on YouTube, so it’s both fitting and thrilling to continue to build our relationship with our partners at the NFL,” Mary Ellen Coe, chief business officer for YouTube, said. “Streaming the Friday night game to fans for free around the world will mark YouTube’s first time as a live NFL broadcaster – and we’ll do it in a way that only YouTube can, with an interactive viewing experience and creators right at the center of the experience.”

Additionally, YouTube and the NFL have entered a multi-year deal for the annual Super Bowl Flag Football, an event that features both creators and artists facing off on the field. There will be more international flag football games announced in the coming weeks. The first time YouTube partnered with the NFL on their Super Bowl LIX Flag Football Game the event drew over six million live views on YouTube.

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