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Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-26 · by Mauricio Savarese The Associated Press
Workers at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro were busy trimming the turf with scissors less than 30 hours before the NFL's first match there, featuring the Dallas Cowboys against the Baltimore Ravens. Concerns about the field’s condition have been raised due to frequent use by local soccer clubs, leading the NFL and players union to send experts to monitor it. Despite initial worries over traction and stability, NFL field director Nick Pappas assured journalists that necessary improvements were made, alleviating concerns about player safety.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Nick Pappas, the NFL's field director, expressed confidence in the condition of the turf at Maracanã Stadium for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens on September 27. Despite concerns raised by the NFL Players Association about loose and patchy grass leading to safety issues, groundskeepers used scissors and a new GrassMaster Stitch Machine to improve traction and stability just days before the match. The league aims to ensure player safety while still hosting international games in Rio de Janeiro. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson acknowledged past experiences playing on poor fields but emphasized focusing on winning rather than worrying about turf conditions.
Written for “Ravens-Cowboys Game Rio” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
Workers were still trimming the turf at Maracana Stadium on Saturday, less than 30 hours before the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens.
asserted
Workers → trim → Cowboys
Some were using scissors to level the high grass, an effort that should end hours before the game.
asserted
that → use → game
Local clubs, Flamengo and Fluminense, play there at least once a week.
asserted
clubs → play → ?
Maracana workers were using mows and scissors, big and small, to perfect the turf for the game.
asserted
workers → use → game
On Friday, the executive director of the NFL Players Association said both the NFL and the players union have had experts monitoring the field conditions for Sunday’s game.
asserted
NFL → say → game
The union’s experts are worried about loose turf leading to too much slipping.
asserted
turf → worry → slipping
Concerns are about the turf’s traction and stability, which made the NFL reinforce its stitching.
asserted
NFL → make → stitching
Earlier this week, field director Nick Pappas said he was confident players will have no trouble.
asserted
players → say → trouble
On Saturday, Pappas told journalists that the NFL made additional improvements since the union’s concerns were raised.
asserted
concerns → tell → improvements
“Things check out,” Pappas said.
asserted
Pappas → check → ?
The NFL has been playing in Brazil since 2024, but the two previous games were at the 48,000-seat NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo.
asserted
games → play → Paulo
In the first year of the Brazil game, its turf was also criticized and forced players of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers to change their cleats to stop slipping.
asserted
turf → criticize → cleats
The Maracana field is 100% natural grass, while the NeoQuimica Arena has a mixture between natural and synthetic that footballers in Brazil deem to be the country’s best pitch.
asserted
footballers → have → Brazil
The Cowboys and Ravens began their preparations in Rio on Friday following roughly 10-hour flights and are expected to have their first visit to the stadium later on Saturday.
asserted
Cowboys → begin → Saturday
Outside the Maracana, locals and tourists seem to be keener to go to the beach at 80 Fahrenheit degrees (28 Celsius) on Saturday than preparing for Sunday’s game.
asserted
locals → seem → game
Unlike Sao Paulo, Rio has a more touristic atmosphere that has drawn a new batch of football followers from South America.
asserted
that → have → America
“I came because of the NFL game, but I also came because of Rio,” said Chilean tourist Juan Olmedo, 61, a fan of the Denver Broncos.
asserted
Olmedo → come → Broncos
“This game being here has that extra element it didn’t have in Sao Paulo.
asserted
it → have → Paulo
Those who went to Sao Paulo were there for the game and not much else.”
asserted
who → go → game
Tourist spots such as Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer also welcomed American and local fans who are attending the game on Sunday.
asserted
who → welcome → Sunday
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