Brasil will have direct participation in the 2026 NFL Draft, which takes place between April 23rd and 25th at Pittsburgh, at Estados Unidos. Pela For the third time in the league’s history, one of the selections of university players will be announced directly from Brazilian territory. The action takes place on Saturday (25), during the third day of the event, in a partnership signed with New England Patriots.
The confirmation was made this Thursday (16) by Luis Martinez, general manager of the NFL at Brasil, during an event held at Rio of Janeiro. Embora the official announcement of the pick is guaranteed for national soil, the league has not yet released the name of the personality who will read the “pick” nor the specific city where the broadcast will be generated. Esta will be the second time in a row that Patriots has delegated one of their choices to be revealed in the country.
Histórico of Brazilian participation in recruitment
The tradition of decentralizing Draft’s announcements to international markets began to gain strength in Brasil in 2022. Naquela On this occasion, the then left-back Filipe Luís, from Flamengo, was in charge of revealing the choice of Miami Dolphins. The announcement was made at the feet of Cristo Redentor, at Rio of Janeiro, marking the first time that an official league team has left South American soil.
The following year, in 2025, the partnership migrated to New England Patriots. Defender Leo Ortiz, also from Flamengo, was the spokesperson for the Massachusetts franchise at an event held again in the capital of Rio de Janeiro. In both previous cases, Brazilian choices took place in the fourth round of the event. The strategy is part of Global Markets Program, an NFL initiative that allows teams to explore their brands and engage fans in specific countries outside of Estados Unidos.
- 2022: Filipe Luís announced the choice of Miami Dolphins over Cristo Redentor.
- 2025: Leo Ortiz announced the selection of New England Patriots into Rio from Janeiro.
- 2026: Personalidade, not yet defined, will announce the choice of Patriots on Saturday.
Detalhes from New England Patriots choices
Para the 2026 event, Patriots has an extensive list of possibilities that can be announced from Brasil. Como the action is scheduled for the third day, which encompasses the fourth to seventh rounds, the franchise has eight teams that fit this technical profile. Entre, two options stand out in the fourth round, maintaining the standard of past editions.
The organization holds picks numbers 125 and 131 in the fourth round, as well as one in the fifth round (pick 171), four in the sixth round (191, 198, 202 and 212) and one last in the seventh round (247). The franchise’s technical team, led by the American football department at Foxborough, will define which of these moments will be broadcast via satellite to the main stage at Pittsburgh. New England Patriots is one of four teams that have exclusive marketing rights on Brasil, alongside Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions.
Transmissão and event times for the Brazilian public
Fans will be able to follow the 2026 NFL Draft through closed channels and streaming platforms. The first day, focused on the first round selections, will be covered by the sportv2 and getv channels. Já the second day of activities will focus on sportv3. Brazilian participation, scheduled for Saturday, will be monitored in the broadcast windows that cover the final rounds of the event.
Draft is the main mechanism for bringing new talent into the professional league. Jogadores who stood out on the college scene (NCAA) are selected by the 32 franchises in an order that prioritizes the teams that performed worst in the previous season. Para or Brasil, the repetition of the action solidifies the country as one of the NFL’s priority markets after the league’s first official game took place in América of Sul, which took place in 2024 in the city of São Paulo. The league projects that international exposure will help consolidate the growing fan base in the national territory, especially among the young audience that consumes digital content and live broadcasts.
