It will still be a while before schedules are announced for the upcoming 2024 NFL season but Minnesota Vikings fans already know that they will not be facing off against one of their biggest division rivals in Week 1.
With the 2024 NFL Draft rapidly approaching and so much talk about what the Vikings will do to land their possible quarterback of the future, other news surrounding the team, the division, and the league can tend to slip through the cracks.
As it stands, Minnesota knows who their opponents will be for the upcoming season and whether they are designated as home or away games, but not when they will be playing those teams. Last year, the schedule was released on May 11, so it will likely be around the same time this year.
The Minnesota Vikings will not play the Packers in Week 1
Fans of the Vikings should be very familiar with the NFL's efforts to expand the visibility of their brand. The league has been playing games in other countries as part of their Intenational Series for several years now.
Minnesota has played games in the United Kingdom three times: 2013 vs. the Steelers at Wembley Stadium, 2017 vs. the Browns at Twickenham Stadium, and 2022 vs. the Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They are also expected to return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a game this season.
It was revealed that the NFL would be playing a game in Brazil this season and it turns out that the Green Bay Packers will be one of the teams participating in that contest with the Philadelphia Eagles as their opponents.
Going to Brazil in Week 1 to play the Philadelphia Eagles! 🏈#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/jjG9135W9j
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 10, 2024
The game in São Paulo, Brazil will take place at Neo Química Arena, which is also known to be called Arena Corinthians. The Eagles will be the host with Green Bay playing the role of the visiting team despite the contest happening at a neutral venue.
Despite this knowledge, it will have little to no impact on the upcoming games between Vikings and the Packers. Since they are a division opponent, the teams will still face off twice during the regular season with each squad being the home team once.
With the Brazil game taking place on Friday, they will have a little extra time travel back to Wisconsin and prepare for their Week 2 opponent, which could possibly be one of their two games against the Minnesota Vikings.