The Kansas City Chiefs’ red and white dominated in the stands at NeoQuimica Arena on Friday night during their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers, though even some of the local supporters couldn’t hide their frustration that Taylor Swift was nowhere to be seen after days of anticipation in Brazil.
Several Chiefs players talked about a growing support base for the team in Brazil, and these fans were the clear majority among the more than 47,000 in attendance. Meanwhile, the Chargers, who were the designated home team, were jeered as they came on the field.
The bigger story for some, though, was the no-show by Swift, who last week announced she was engaged to Chiefs tight end and three-time Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce. There was speculation all week here that Swift might make a third visit to the South American nation, and the first to the stadium of soccer club Corinthians, whose fans see her as a good luck charm. Stories in the Brazilian media about a possible visit boosted online interest in the game, the NFL’s second in Brazil.
“I got to say it feels a bit less exciting now,” said 24-year-old Elena Sampaio, who was wearing a Chiefs shirt but didn’t know the names of any of the players. “When I heard Taylor was coming I felt this was going to be a bigger event than I imagined. Too bad.”
Instead, local fans who were still looking for Swift in the boxes had to settle for Santos and Brazil striker Neymar hugging Kelce and chatting with him before kickoff.
Fans also celebrated as Green Day drummer Tre Cool joined a group of samba drummers who played before the performances of the national anthems of Brazil and the United States.
“The atmosphere in Brazil will always be festive like this. We are loud, we want the players to hear us. We want to be part of the game,” said Manuel Andrade, 32, a school teacher who supports the New England Patriots. “I don’t like the Chiefs at all, and it feels great to cheer against the majority here. I came here last year, hope to come as long as we have this.”
The NFL held several events in Sao Paulo this week in the lead-up to the game. The league also sponsored murals by artists Kobra, Crica Monteiro and Leandro Nascimento, as it did last year when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers here.
The game Friday was the first of seven that will be played this season in international venues, including in Berlin, Dublin and Madrid.
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