For the first time in over a decade, the Dallas Cowboys are packing their bags for a regular season game outside the United States. As part of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s push to expand the league’s global footprint – featuring nine international matchups this season – the Cowboys travel to Rio de Janeiro in Week 3 to face Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium. But what is intended to be a marquee international showcase is now clouded by serious concerns over the quality and safety of the playing surface.

Despite mounting criticism from local athletes who play at the venue, the league has officially given the green light to proceed with the September 27 matchup as planned. 

“An NFL spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the league is looking forward to the game in Rio,” Mark Maske of FOS wrote. “And, as with all international games, it has a plan in place to ensure a high-quality playing surface.”

Now, the skepticism around that plan stems directly from the stadium’s primary tenant: Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, Brazil’s most popular domestic soccer club. Flamengo plays its home games at Maracanã, and its players have openly called out the venue’s management over the past week, warning that the grass has degraded into a bumpy, hazardous surface. Following a recent domestic game, Flamengo goalkeeper Agustin Rossi pointed directly to the safety risks they’re facing, and what could await the NFL stars.

“You don’t even need to talk about the field, it’s there for everyone to see,” Rossi said. “The way we play, it’s unbelievable that we’re playing on a field like this. Both penalty areas are bad as [expletive]. If you look at it, there are bumps everywhere. There’s still going to be an NFL game here during the international break. After that game, I hope the field is in better shape.”

Flamengo playmaker Giorgian De Arrascaeta doubled down on Rossi’s assessment, noting that the poor conditions have made basic footwork and ball control difficult to execute safely.

“We’ve been struggling a lot in these last few games, and the field keeps getting worse,” Arrascaeta said. “It’s getting harder and harder to control the ball. We have to try to play quickly. If we want to be champions, we have to find a solution. With the team we have, we can’t be playing on a field like this.”

These complaints highlight the longstanding maintenance issues at the stadium. Following the 2016 Summer Olympics, Maracanã fell into neglect, with local outlet O Globo reporting dried up brown turf, thousands of missing seats, exposed wire, holes in the wall, and the smell of mold. It was practically a ghost town, with electricity being cut to the stadium after it incurred more than 3 million reais (around $587,000 in current currency value), per Reuters.

This surface absorbed additional damage on Sunday, when Flamengo hosted Red Bull Bragantino in a domestic league match, leaving the NFL grounds crews with only a brief window to repair the turf and paint gridiron markings before kickoff. But the international outreach opportunity is too big to pass on. Last year, Forbes wrote there were 36 million fans in Brazil, making it the second-largest international market for the NFL. However, with these reports coming in only a week before kickoff, it is not a promising picture for either team.

For Dallas, the overseas game comes amid an early-season roster crunch. Starting safety P.J. Locke suffered a non-contact foot injury on the opening drive of Sunday’s 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders, and left the stadium in a walking boot. With cornerback depth already being tested, putting frontline starters on an unstable surface is bound to create some operational anxiety. To that end, head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed the situation on Monday.

“We talked a little bit today with the operations people, Todd Williams, his team have been in direct contact with the league,” Schottenheimer said. “The league seems to feel like everything’s going to be fine, and in reality, you know, we were focused on this, but I have no concerns.”

Before Schotty’s statement, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones had already taken a more cautious approach following the win over Washington, noting that the field quality remains a priority with the focus now shifting to Baltimore.

“That detail I’m not up to date on,” Jerry said. “I was asked about it before the game and I don’t know any more about it than I did then. We’ll look at that and I know it’s the utmost concern to the league and the teams playing down there. We’ll obviously stay informed as we look to it and it’s front of mind now that we’ve gotten past the Washington Commanders.”

The scrutiny is fueled by the NFL’s September 2024 trip to Brazil. During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers at São Paulo’s Arena Corinthians Stadium, footing became an issue on the opening drive. Star running back Saquon Barkley was forced to change into seven-stud cleats after he lost his footing on his very first carry. The rest of the team followed suit, and managed to plant their feet on the turf better. In the postgame presser, quarterback Jalen Hurts addressed the matter.

“I mean, y’all saw out there that it was kind of rough to get traction,” Hurts said. “Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on. We’ve had that type of field before. They had to play on it as well. I’m just happy that we found a way to figure it out as a team, overcome it.”

Even NBA superstar LeBron James criticized the field, taking to social media to write, “Man this field s****!!!”

While the NFL has promised it would make sure playing conditions are up to the mark, there is likely a backup plan in place, especially since the NFL has done it before. Back in 2018, when heavy rain and concert foot traffic tore up the turf at the Estadio Azteca before hosting the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the game was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. If Maracanã isn’t up to the mark, we might see something similar play out for Dallas.

While moving this matchup to AT&T Stadium in Arlington remains a theoretical fallback, the league is heavily invested in its global expansion schedule. The 2026 season opener between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in Australia drew 111,021 fans to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and 21.7 million viewers worldwide on Netflix. And the Rio game might not be any different.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes has touted the NFL and the vibrant city as the “perfect match.” But that stance can shift quickly if the league and the Rio authorities don’t fix the field before the Week 3 kickoff. It’s a race against the clock, and the league’s global footprint is on the line.