Maracana Turf Trimmed Hours Before Cowboys-Ravens NFL Game — SkimNews
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- Maracana Stadium workers were using mowers and scissors on Saturday — less than 30 hours before kickoff — to perfect the pitch for the Cowboys-Ravens game, the NFL's first in Rio de Janeiro.
- NFLPA executive director said both the league and players union have had experts monitoring field conditions since Friday, with union experts worried that loose turf could cause excessive slipping.
- Field director Nick Pappas said the NFL reinforced stitching earlier in the week and made additional improvements after the union's concerns, telling reporters: "Things check out. No need to worry."
- The Maracana pitch has been a concern for almost two weeks due to heavy use from Rio clubs Flamengo and Fluminense, who play there at least once a week during the Brazilian football season.
- The 2024 Brazil game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers also drew turf criticism, forcing players to change cleats to stop slipping; that match was held at the 48,000-seat NeoQuimica Arena in São Paulo.
- The Maracana uses 100% natural grass while the NeoQuimica Arena has a natural-synthetic mix that players consider Brazil's best pitch.
- Sunday's game is one of a record nine international contests on the 2026 NFL schedule, with Cowboys fans visibly outnumbering Ravens supporters in Rio's Copacabana area.
Why it matters: The turf concerns echo the 2024 São Paulo game that already forced cleat changes and raised player-safety questions; with the NFL expanding to nine international games this season and using a natural-grass Maricana that players rate below Brazil's best pitch, the league is betting that last-minute stitching repairs will hold under NFL-caliber play. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his teammates arrived after 10-hour flights and began prep Friday.
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