The playing surface at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium met all NFL standards ahead of Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens, the league confirmed on Saturday. NFL field director Nick Pappas said the field passed mandatory testing after concerns from the NFL Players Association about the grass condition.
Speaking to reporters a day before kickoff, Pappas described the inspection process, which involved an independent specialist working alongside himself and an NFLPA representative. “They were here yesterday. Performed that test. Things check out,” he said. The NFL has monitored the stadium’s field once a month since January, addressing challenges posed by heavy rainfall and multiple soccer matches, including recent games involving Flamengo and Fluminense.
“We’ve made additional improvements to the field that we think were helpful,” Pappas added. He highlighted the efforts to give the surface rest after last weekend’s activity, including a tongue-in-cheek comment about “making a phone call to shut the rain off” before sunshine arrived. Among the measures taken were stitching the grass and setting up football-specific equipment like the goalposts and field lines.
The NFLPA had raised concerns earlier in the week about the field’s condition. Executive director JC Tretter posted a detailed statement on social media Friday, noting that the grass was initially “loose, patchy, and lead to excessive slipping.” He clarified that while these issues affect playability and performance, they were less about injury risk. “Safety is the primary issue for players,” Tretter wrote, “but a surface that allows them to perform at their highest level, resulting in a well-played game, is also a major consideration.”
Both the league and the NFLPA’s experts conducted multiple inspections during the week and initially found the field unstable for football. The final assessment on Friday confirmed it was suitable for play. The Cowboys arrived at Maracanã on Saturday for a walkthrough to test the surface themselves. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb went barefoot on the grass, while kicker Brandon Aubrey wore cleats to evaluate footing.
Kickoff for the international regular-season game is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, with Dallas designated as the home team. The matchup marks one of the NFL’s continued efforts to expand its global presence, this time in a stadium more traditionally associated with football in the global sense.
According to Yahoo Sports.