NFL says Maracana pitch will be ready for Ravens-Cowboys game in Rio

The NFL is confident the pitch at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium will be ready for Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys, despite unusually heavy rain over the past six weeks. The match will be the league's first game in Rio and one of a record nine international contests on the NFL schedule this season.

The league began preparations at the stadium on Monday, with officials saying they were in a good position despite the weather. Maracana's turf has come under scrutiny in recent days after footballers criticised its condition, but the NFL said some of those concerns are different for American football.

Nick Pappas, the NFL's field director, said the stadium had faced difficult conditions because of the rain. "They've faced some unprecedented weather over the last six weeks or so as far as rainfall goes," Pappas told The Associated Press from Rio. "We've got to have plans in place to ensure that you can mitigate the weather the best you can and, right now, we feel we're in a good spot."

Pappas said the NFL had sent a tarp to Rio about a week ago to help protect the turf. He added that one of the bigger tasks this week would be converting Maracana to make it ready for American football.

Field conditions at international venues are often debated when the NFL stages games abroad, and Maracana has drawn particular attention after players said the turf had made it difficult to control the ball. The 78,000-seat stadium regularly hosts football clubs Flamengo and Fluminense and averages two matches a week. That heavy schedule, along with persistent rain, has put pressure on the natural grass surface.

Flamengo midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta said after Sunday's match, played only hours before the NFL took over the stadium, that the Maracana pitch "keeps getting worse". "With the team we have, we can't be playing on a field like this," the Uruguayan player said.

Pappas said some of the recent concerns did not apply in the same way to the NFL. "Our ball is not on the ground too much, so some of the things they're looking for (are) maybe not the same things that we're looking at," he said.

The game will be the NFL's third in Brazil, though the previous two were held at Sao Paulo's Neo Quimica Arena, where the turf was also criticised. Ravens coach Jesse Minter said the team had been in contact with the league about the stadium. "They have people there (who) feel pretty good about it," he said on Monday. "Both teams are going to be playing there, and we will be ready to roll."

The Ravens and Cowboys are due to travel on Thursday and will practise in Rio on Friday, with the NFL saying it remains confident the stadium will be ready despite the recent weather and criticism of the pitch.