Battered Maracanã faces final test as NFL takes over for Ravens-Cowboys
The Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys will make NFL history Sunday at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, and the league has now taken control of a playing surface that has spent weeks fighting extraordinary rainfall and a relentless soccer schedule.
After concerns were raised about the condition of the field leading into the NFL’s first game in Rio, league crews moved into Maracanã Monday. NFL field director Nick Pappas says he expects the surface to be ready for the September 27 matchup.
The numbers behind the battered grass show what his crew is up against.
Rain has hammered Maracanã
Rainfall in August was 208% higher than during the same month in 2025, while 46% of matches played at Maracanã during July and August either took place in rain or within 24 hours of rainfall.
The repeated soaking has pushed more moisture into the soil while reducing the density of the grass. Warmer winter temperatures have added another challenge, and the field has had little chance to recover between games.
By September 11, Maracanã had already hosted 58 soccer matches.
That combination — heavy use, wet soil and limited recovery time — has left the NFL with less than a week to prepare the field for a very different sport.
NFL moves in
Pappas and his crew began converting the stadium Monday after the final soccer game before Sunday’s NFL matchup.
He acknowledged that Rio de Janeiro has endured unusually heavy rainfall over the past six weeks but expressed confidence that the field will meet the league’s requirements.
The NFL didn’t arrive empty-handed. A tarp was shipped to Rio about a week ago to protect the surface from additional rain while crews work through the final days of preparation.
For the league, the challenge now is getting the grass through four quarters of NFL football.
Another job starts after the final whistle
Maracanã officials aren’t waiting to see what Sunday’s game leaves behind.
Crews are being prepared to move onto the field immediately afterward and could work through the night repairing damaged sections of grass.
If localized repairs aren’t enough, stadium management is reportedly prepared to consider replacing the entire playing surface.
That makes Sunday something of a finish line and a starting point.
The NFL believes Maracanã will be ready when the Ravens and Cowboys run onto the field. Once they leave it, another race begins — repairing a surface that has already endured one of its toughest stretches in years.
