Patriots awarded Brazil as newest global territory for marketing

BOSTON -- The Patriots' branding has taken a step forward in going global, as the team was awarded Brazil as its newest global territory.

The NFL announced five new markets in 2024 for its Global Markets Program, with the Patriots adding Brazil to their portfolio. The Patriots announced that the addition of Brazil "will allow the Patriots opportunities for in-person and digital marketing, corporate sponsorship sales, fan events, activations, merchandise sales and co-marketing relationships with other sports and entertainment properties in Brazil."

The Patriots had already been awarded these rights in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

"Our organization has been committed to expanding our reach and our brand globally since we bought the team in 1994," Robert Kraft said. "We have used our internet and social media platforms to reach millions of fans around the world and are proud to have played regular-season games in the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Germany. More recently, the development of the NFL's Global Markets Program has allowed us to show an even stronger commitment to developing deeper connections in other countries by providing additional rights that allow us to both market our team and promote the great game of American football. 

"We know some of our most passionate fans are in South America and we are excited to expand our international home market to Brazil." 

The Patriots' news release indicated that Massachusetts has the second-largest Brazilian population in the U.S., behind only Florida.

According to the Patriots, some of the opportunities they're expected to pursue in Brazil include "hosting watch parties for Patriots games, conducting football camps, partnering with Brazilian sponsors and organizing goodwill ambassador tours with Patriots players."

The NFL announced that four teams were granted international markets for the first time -- the Cleveland Browns in Nigeria; the Detroit Lions in Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland; the Indianapolis Colts in Austria and Germany; and the New York Giants in Germany. Additionally, the league announced five new international markets for the program: the Miami Dolphins in Argentina and Colombia, the L.A. Rams in Japan and South Korea, and the aforementioned Browns-Nigera pairing.

In total, the NFL now has 25 teams and 19 international markets involved in the Global Markets Program.