The planned trip to South America is officially off for NC State and Virginia football fans. The two teams were supposed to play in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during Week 0 in what would have been the first college football game ever played in South America. However, according to Sports Business Journal, the game has now been moved back to Charlottesville, Virginia. The word is, the event promoter, Athletes Advantage, apparently got cold feet at the last minute. As a result, the Wolfpack could be looking at a hefty payday.

“We are certainly disappointed that our road game vs. Virginia won’t take place in Brazil,” the Wolf-pack AD said in their statement after the cancellation. “But support the decision given the circumstances. It would have been a unique cultural immersion experience for our student-athletes and we are certainly open to revisiting the opportunity in the future.”

Even though the trip is canceled, according to a participation agreement obtained through a FOIA request, Athletes Advantage must pay the Wolfpack $1.5 million for what is described as a “material breach” of contract. The company must send the money within 30 days of the cancellation notice. Before the game fell apart, NC State was expected to receive $2 million for participating, plus extra money from fan travel packages and sponsorship deals.

That means the sports marketing company is now under pressure to send a seven-figure payment to the university. While Virginia’s contract has not been fully released, reports indicate the Cavaliers had similar protections in place and could also receive a sizable payout because of the cancellation.

As for the game itself, the two schools are still expected to play. The most likely option is keeping the Aug. 29 date, although moving it to the following week remains possible since both teams originally had a bye week available. ESPN and the ACC are currently working through the scheduling details.

Just last month, the ACC announced the game would kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 29. It was set to be one of the league’s featured Week 0 matchups, following North Carolina’s season opener against TCU in Ireland. As recently as May 27, both the ACC and ESPN were still promoting the Brazil game as a major event.

The plan had been in place for a long time. NC State and Virginia were originally supposed to play a regular nonconference game in Charlottesville. But when the ACC moved to a nine-game conference schedule, the matchup became a conference game instead. The cancellation doesn’t change much for either team. NC State will still play the game on the road, just in Virginia instead of Brazil.

The timing of the cancellation has naturally raised a lot of questions.

What made Athletes Advantage get cold feet just three months before the game date?

Where did it go wrong for the promoter?

NC State’s official statement said Athletes Advantage was no longer able to put on the event after conducting “an extensive review with operational partners and international stakeholders.”

Not going to lie, that’s about as vague as it could possibly get. The issue could have been anything. It might even have been related to travel plans, logistics, ticket sales, overhead costs, or simply the challenge of taking two major college football teams all the way to South America. As of now, the organizers have not provided a detailed reason.

Right now, nobody outside the organizers seems to know exactly what went wrong.

Fans who bought official ticket packages will get their money back. College Football Brasil, the event’s promotional partner, announced that full refunds will be given to everyone who purchased tickets through official channels. The refund process will be handled by the event’s payment providers, making it easier for the fans. However, anyone who booked flights or hotels separately may still need to contact airlines or travel companies on their own to get those costs refunded.

Because this remains a Week 0 game with very little competition on the national schedule, ESPN is expected to keep it in a high-profile television window. The network still views the matchup as a valuable early-season game that can draw strong ratings and national attention.