RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Workers were still trimming the turf at Maracana Stadium on Saturday, less than 30 hours before the NFL's first game in Rio de Janeiro between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens.
Some were using scissors to level the high grass, an effort that should end hours before the game.
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The Maracana's turf has been a concern for almost two weeks due to its poor shape amid a long season in Brazilian soccer. Local clubs Flamengo and Fluminense play there at least once a week.
Maracana workers were using mows and scissors, big and small, to perfect the turf for the game.
On Friday, the executive director of the NFL Players Association said both the NFL and the players union have had experts monitoring the field conditions for Sunday's game. The union’s experts are worried about loose turf leading to too much slipping.
Concerns are about the turf's traction and stability, which made the NFL reinforce its stitching. Earlier this week, field director Nick Pappas said he was confident players will have no trouble.
On Saturday, Pappas told reporters that the NFL made additional improvements since the union's concerns were raised.
“Things check out,” Pappas said. “No need to worry.”
The NFL has been playing in Brazil since 2024, but the two previous games were at the 48,000-seat NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo. In the first year of the Brazil game, its turf was also criticized and forced players of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers to change their cleats to stop slipping.
The Maracana field is 100% natural grass, while the NeoQuimica Arena has a mixture between natural and synthetic that players in Brazil deem to be the country's best pitch.
The Cowboys and Ravens began their preparations in Rio on Friday following roughly 10-hour flights. Dak Prescott, his Cowboys teammates and their cheerleaders had their visit to the stadium in the morning.
Fans from Texas involved in a stadium tour were more worried about going to a Brazilian steakhouse for lunch than the turf conditions for Sunday's game.
“These boys have played in very bad conditions growing up, I am sure they will handle whatever challenges come,” said George Smith, 72, wearing a cap with the Cowboys' blue star and a Brazilian national team soccer shirt. “What concerns me now is making sure I get my beef today rather than tomorrow before the game.”
Throughout Rio’s glitzy southern end, where Copacabana beach lies, there were clearly more Cowboys than Ravens fans roaming around. Many fans were still arriving from other South American nations, as Brazil is for now the only country of the region to host NFL games.
Their game Sunday will be one of a record nine international contests on the NFL schedule this season.
Outside the Maracana, locals and tourists seem to be keener to go to the beach at 80 Fahrenheit degrees (28 Celsius) on Saturday than preparing for Sunday's game. Unlike Sao Paulo, Rio has a more touristic atmosphere that has drawn a new batch of football followers from South America.
“I came because of the NFL game, but I also came because of Rio,” said Chilean tourist Juan Olmedo, 61, a fan of the Denver Broncos. “This game being here has that extra element it didn't have in Sao Paulo. Those who went to Sao Paulo were there for the game and not much else.”
Tourist spots such as Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer also welcomed American and local fans who are attending the game on Sunday. Maracana metro station was decorated with NFL themes.
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