Ricky Martin and Pedro Sampaio Set to Headline NFL's Historic Rio Halftime Show

The NFL is continuing its aggressive international expansion, and its latest market penetration is happening in Brazil. According to a report from Consequence of Sound, pop icon Ricky Martin and Brazilian DJ Pedro Sampaio are locked in to headline the halftime show at the league's first-ever regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro. The game is scheduled for September 27th at the historic Maracanã Stadium, featuring a matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys. From a business perspective, this booking is a calculated play for maximum demographic reach. While Martin brings decades of global pop stardom, pairing him with Sampaio is the critical local hook needed to keep Rio's younger, electronic-music-loving audience tuned in. Martin is essentially a legacy act in 2026, but the NFL excels at packaging nostalgia for massive stadium spaces. Maracanã Stadium is hallowed ground for sports, and filling those seats for American football requires this exact brand of high-energy, cross-generational spectacle. Fans can watch the Ravens and Cowboys clash in Rio on September 27th.