[Source: Reuters]

Sao Paulo has tightened security ahead of the first NFL game in South America after players voiced concerns about traveling to Latin America’s largest country, the Brazilian state said on Wednesday.

Brazil will host the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Green Bay Packers on Friday at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, the first NFL game on the continent and the first Week One game held on a Friday evening since 1970.

Eagles players have questioned security in the city, the largest in the southern hemisphere.

Sao Paulo state government said it would delegate specialized civil and military police battalions to reinforce security during the game and place police officers on streets, trains, subway stations, hotels and tourist attractions.

Brazil in 2023 ranked 17th most dangerous country in the world by murder rate, according to Statista data, below Latin American peers such as Ecuador and Mexico – where NFL has held games since 2005 with security concerns also voiced.

Sao Paulo state says the local homicide rate is four times lower than the national average and compares to that of California, while standing below Washington DC, for example.