The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers are going to face off in the NFL's first regular-season game in Brazil this September. Both teams could be facing a major problem that has nothing to do with traveling to the game, traffic congestion, nor field conditions.
There's a possibility neither the Eagles nor Packers will be allowed to wear their home uniforms for the Week 1 clash.
The Eagles-Packers game in Sao Paulo will be played at Corinthians Arena, which is home to the Brazilian soccer team Corinthians. The biggest rival for Corinthians is Palmeiras, who wear the color green.
So why is this a problem? Corinthians has an informal ban on wearing green, as a former player was actually fined by the club a few years ago for wearing green cleats (per the United Kingdom's Daily Mail). The Eagles and Packers -- both have green home jerseys.
Will a Brazilian soccer team actually prevent the Eagles and Packers from wearing green jerseys? That informal ban applies to players and fans in Corinthians Arena, as there are signs around the stadium stating the color is "forbidden."
What could the Eagles and Packers do regarding the situation? Both teams wear green, so the Eagles -- the designated home team -- can't wear white and have the Packers wear green. The Eagles do have a black alternate jersey to wear, making the Packers wear white, but that black alternate jersey also comes with a green helmet.
The Eagles had a black alternate helmet in 2022, but that was temporarily retired in 2023 in favor of the Kelly Green alternate helmet. The black helmet will be eligible to return in 2025 when the NFL is allowing the use of a second alternate helmet.
This could be nothing, but will be interesting how Corinthians Arena will react if one of the two teams playing wears green. Of course, the NFL has just three teams with green as their primary color -- the Eagles, Packers and New York Jets.
The answer probably won't be revealed until the game is played.
