RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — 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.
Some were using scissors to level the high grass, an effort that should end hours before the game.
The Maracana's turf has been a concern for almost two weeks due to its poor shape amid a long season in Brazilian soccer. Local clubs, Flamengo and Fluminense, play there at least once a week.
Maracana workers were using mows and scissors, big and small, to perfect the turf for the 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. The union’s experts are worried about loose turf leading to too much slipping.
Concerns are about the turf's traction and stability, which made the NFL reinforce its stitching. Earlier this week, field director Nick Pappas said he was confident players will have no trouble.
On Saturday, Pappas told journalists that the NFL made additional improvements since the union's concerns were raised.
“Things check out,” Pappas said. “No need to worry.”
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. 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.
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.
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.
Their game Sunday will be one of a record nine international contests on the NFL schedule this season.
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. Unlike Sao Paulo, Rio has a more touristic atmosphere that has drawn a new batch of football followers from South 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. “This game being here has that extra element it didn't have in Sao Paulo. Those who went to Sao Paulo were there for the game and not much else.”
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.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Crews prepare the field ahead of an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A general view of the interior of Maracana stadium as workers prepare it for Sunday's NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
A worker cuts grass with scissors on the field ahead of an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — More than 70,000 customers were without electricity in the U.S. Northeast on Saturday, the effect of a powerful nor’easter expected to create dangerous conditions through the weekend. Forecasters warned of gale winds that could down trees and heavy rain that could put roads underwater.
Tens of millions of people are in the path of the storm was already beginning to lash the region with strong winds and rain as the region braces for much more. Dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service.
“This storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend,” the weather service said Saturday. “Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.”
In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, water, with waves rippling along its surface, flooded the streets, inundating some homes. About 34 miles (54.7 kilometers) up the coast in the borough of Manasquan, where some roads were also flooding, Mayor Mike Mangan said he expected “a lot of water in the streets for a long time.” A voluntary evacuation had been issued earlier in some low-lying areas of the community.
Concerts were canceled, along with dozens of flights going into airports in Boston, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Friday and Saturday. Several airlines were offering to waive some change or cancellation fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged people to use caution. She said coastal flooding is the biggest threat, but it will also bring heavy rains, powerful winds and waves as high as 20 feet (six meters).
“The rain is underway and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words: Much more is coming,” the governor said.
Brian Kelly, the mayor of the tiny New Jersey beach community Sea Bright, said the borough is bracing for winds up to 50 mph (80 kph) and flooding that could reach up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) on some streets. Officials expect the flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday.
“It’s going to be worse than average. We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event,” Kelly said, referencing the 2011 storm that caused major flooding in the Northeast. “I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.”
Kelly hopes hundreds of residents living in low-lying areas will consider evacuating. He said the town will open its recreation center for evacuees.
Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph (97 to 105 kph) on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph (80 to 89 kph) around Boston and 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 kph) farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with NWS in Norton, Massachusetts.
“It’s definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you’re likely to see,” Belk said.
Belk said nor'easters are not unusual as New England moves into fall, but one concern this early in the season is that leaves remain on the trees, creating more wind resistance. That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which in turn can cause power outages and leave debris in roads, he said.
Along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, wind gusts could reach 60 mph (96.6 kph), according to NWS. In southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York, gusts could get almost as high, potentially downing tree limbs and power lines.
Air travel was also being disrupted, with Boston particularly hard hit. Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported 39 cancellations at Boston Logan International Airport between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday, compared with 22 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Another 12 flights were delayed at Logan.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox announced their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs would be adjusted. The team moved the Sunday afternoon game to Friday to create a split doubleheader. Separately, Ed Sheeran announced that his high-profile Friday and Saturday shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, would be canceled due to the storm.
The public ferry service connecting Cape Cod with the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard was experiencing widespread cancellations Friday due to strong winds and choppy water.
In Rhode Island, ferries were also canceled for Block Island. The disrupted ferry service was expected to also spill into Saturday.
For people who regularly travel to and from the islands, the possibility of getting stuck on one side or the other is “part of life,” said Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Most people have backup plans in place for when boats are canceled.
“It’s a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,” he said. “This is not out of the realm of ordinary.”
Ashley Destino of Gloucester, a coastal city in northern Massachusetts, enjoyed a stroll along the beach with her two young children before preparing to hunker down at home during the storm.
“We came to the beach on Friday afternoon because we knew we were going to be inside all weekend,” said Destino, who has Legos and arts and crafts activities prepared to entertain her two children, ages 7 and 4.
She also prepared by securing her boat with additional lines, and her husband pulled out a generator in case the electricity goes out.
Willingham reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston; Rodrique Ngowi in Gloucester, Massachusetts; and Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report.
John Garrisi, left, and Gaige Graf move an outdoor table away from the shorefront during the early stages of a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A surfer rides a wave during a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Chuck and Teresa Palmieri move lawn furniture to a safe location at a relative's seaside property as the Atlantic Ocean kicks up surf during the early stages of a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Brenda Malloy enjoys a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Surf breaks along the rocky coastline, with the twin lighthouses of Thatcher Island visible in the distance, during the early stages of a nor’easter Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
