The NFL will release its 2026 regular-season schedule in full at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday night. Since the schedule release has morphed into a week-long event, high-profile matchups have been trickling out all week, with this year's international slate taking center stage.
The Dallas Cowboys are no exception. While it was announced before the draft that they would face the Baltimore Ravens in the league's first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it was confirmed this week that it will take place in Week 3.
On Wednesday, the NFL revealed its full international slate, and it's a lot. The nine games mark a league record.
What started as a global expansion has morphed into an oversaturation worldwide, and former NFL superstar J.J. Watt summed up exactly how a lot of Cowboys fans are feeling about the team having to travel to South America in the middle of the season.
Jerry Jones doesn't feel quite the same as Watt, however. More on that in a second.
International game slate is nearing the realm of traveling circus as opposed occasional showcase.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) May 13, 2026
J.J. Watt echoes a lot of Dallas Cowboys fans about the NFL's international games
It should come as no surprise that Jerry Jones and commissioner Roger Goodell -- along with the league’s other 31 owners -- are in lockstep on expanding the game internationally. Here’s Jones’ statement following the NFL’s announcement that the Cowboys will play in Brazil:
"We're thrilled and honored to be part of Rio's first NFL game. Playing in the legendary Maracanã Stadium against the Ravens in front of such a passionate and growing fan base on a global stage will be very special for our team, our entire Cowboys organization and the millions watching back home and around the world."
There’s probably a small part of Jones that doesn’t love losing a home game at AT&T Stadium to “host” one in Rio de Janeiro. But it all comes down to money. Jones has turned the Cowboys into the most valuable sports franchise in the world, so of course he’s going to co-sign global expansion.
The NFL can spin it however it wants, but that's exactly what this is. It's precisely why the league will eventually add an 18th game to the regular season, and why Thursday Night Football, despite being an objectively poor product, isn't going anywhere.
Sending a couple of teams to London every year is fine. But asking the Rams and 49ers to travel halfway around the world to Australia in Week 1 — with no bye week to recover from jet lag — is a different story.
It's only going to get worse, too, as Goodell has said he wants 16 international games per season. If nine feels like a lot, brace yourself, Cowboys fans. As the biggest brand in the sport, America's Team will be playing plenty on foreign soil in the years to come.
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