The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542201
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 ■ 19 Todd Stansbury said he was impressed with how quickly it all came together considering the legwork required to make a game outside of the United States happen. During his three-year stint as athletics director at the University of Central Florida, Stansbury worked on the Knights' 2014 game in Dublin, which gave him the critical experience of help- ing put together an in- ternational contest. That game, a 26-24 loss to Penn State in a contest billed as the "Croke Park Classic," gave Stansbury a unique perspective on how spe- cial this opportunity would be for NC State in the upcoming season. Not only would it provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the fans and program, but it would also allow the Wolfpack to be center stage in Week 0 with a prime-time slot on an ESPN channel. "There's just so much positive about being able to play an international game in Week 0," Stansbury said. "It provides opportunities for student-athletes to have different kinds of experiences, and for them to be literally the first college football program to play a game in South America. It's really got so many positives on a number of different fronts." In addition to providing a platform for the participating teams, the Brazil game will be important for the ACC, which was fully on board from the start. "Having a prime-time game and the airwaves somewhat to yourself is defi- nitely good for not only our programs, but the league overall," Stansbury said. While the more than 4,500-mile trek could be taxing on NC State's players, the Wolfpack is expected to have an open date during the traditional first weekend of the season to fully recover from its intercontinental travel itinerary. Now that the game has been officially announced — and tickets are currently available for sale — the logistical heavy lifting will begin. Although the NFL has played a game in Brazil in each of the past three seasons, the Cavaliers and Wolf- pack will be venturing into unfamiliar territory as far as the college game is concerned. "There's still a lot that needs to be done in a short period of time. Because we're the first, there's not already a ready-made handbook," Stansbury said. "We're going to be a part of creating that. I think that's the other thing that's exciting about this. What we and Virginia do and how we do it will ul- timately pave the way for other programs. The goal is similar to what Dublin has done. They want to do the same thing in Brazil." The clock is ticking, but NC State is excited to be a part of the first-ever col- lege football game in South America. The unprecedented contest started as an idea just a couple months ago, but it's quickly becoming a reality as the calendar con- tinues to churn toward next fall. ■ Ticket and hotel packages for the first-ever college football game in South America are available now at www.collegefootballbrasil. us/nc-state. " There's just so much positive about being able to play an international game in Week 0. It provides opportunities for student-athletes to have different kinds of experiences, and for them to be literally the first college football program to play a game in South America." NC State Deputy Athletics Director Todd Stansbury