GB Packers
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – News of the Packers international season opener traveled fast. From travel agents to Brazilians, who now call Northeast Wisconsin home, excitement and plans are building.
“Ahhhhh! I cannot be anymore excited,” Brazil native, Mara Rintamaki, who owns Mara’s Brazilian Cuisine in Oshkosh, is screaming with excitement
“I think it’s going to be amazing. I’m super excited about it,” she said about the Sao Paolo news. She added, “I think people definitely have to get a little taste of Brazil before they endure the travels to Brazil.”
In Brazil two weeks ago, Rintamaki said the Packers game in Brazil was being talk about, adding, “I heard the rumors about Green Bay playing in the Corinthians stadium. And I’m like holy wow, this is my backyard, you know. So, it would be awesome and sure enough that happened so I can’t wait. I hope I can make it. I truly do because that would be amazing to experience that in Brazil.”
Rintamaki isn’t alone.
“The availability on that flight is starting to go already. I’m looking at the 4th of September that would get you into Sao Paolo on the 5th of September,” said Rose Gray with Fox World Travel. She’s already tracking flight availability and opportunities for Packers fans who want to travel to the game.
According to Gray, “I envision people, probably flying in for the game, maybe arriving Thursday, going to the game Friday, seeing Sao Paolo Saturday and Sunday and then I would absolutely, if it was me traveling, book the next thing I could get on to go to Rio and I would see Rio as well.”
While fans don’t need to decide today if they’ll make the trip, it’s something they’ll need to think about sooner rather than later.
And if they’re going Rintamaki says they should expect to have the best time.
According to Rintamaki, fans should expect, “Heat for sure. They’re definitely going to feel a bit of a difference in temperature. A lot of people. Sao Paolo is absolutely ginormous. There’s people everywhere, walking everywhere, coming from all directions, you’re going to be a little bit overwhelmed maybe with the amount of people but they’re all very friendly, all very kind people.”
And even though Brazilians are all about futbol, or what Americans call soccer, they’re huge sports fans.
Having the Packers play in Sao Paulo, according to Rintamaki, is a great way to expand interest in American football abroad
She said, “Green Bay Packers already carry the flag, no matter what. The golden and green are the main Brazilian colors so they’re the best team that the Brazilians could ever have playing in their country so it’s amazing.”
Fans looking for tickets to the international game won’t be able to buy them through the Packers. Tickets will be available through On Location, the Official Hospitality Partner of the NFL.
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