Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Expand NFL Reach in Brazil and Texas

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brought their signature routines to Brazil for the NFL's first game in Rio de Janeiro, while team member Brenley Herrera returned to Texas Tech's sidelines during a dominant college football victory. The two appearances highlighted the squad's presence across international professional football and American college sports.

According to Vogue, the Cowboys faced the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium in Rio, where the cheerleaders performed their signature Thunderstruck routine. The event formed part of an NFL season featuring a record nine international games, each designed to recreate elements of the league's major game-day spectacles.

At Texas Tech, the Red Raiders defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 53-25 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock on Saturday afternoon, according to The Big Lead's October 18 report. Herrera, who previously attended Texas Tech, returned to the stadium and performed a TikTok dance alongside Pom Squad member Dakota La Penna to Imogen Heap's song Headlock.

Herrera had previously attracted attention for her sideline dance videos and a 2024 TikTok featuring Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire. She later appeared in the third season of Netflix's America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which documented her journey toward joining the professional squad.

The Big Lead reported that Herrera was in her second season with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Her return to Lubbock brought her back to the setting where her dance performances had helped establish her public profile.

In Rio, the entire squad of 36 cheerleaders performed at a regular-season NFL international game for the first time, Vogue reported. The trip also marked the longest flight of some members' lives and required adjustments to their routines for the stadium's grass surface and the city's hot, humid weather.

Charly Barby, whose comeback featured prominently in the Netflix series, described the significance of performing abroad after previously being cut during training camp.

"I just wanted to be on this team so bad," said Charly Barby.

Barby said the introduction before the performance moved her emotionally, particularly because the team was appearing internationally for the first time in her career. The cheerleaders also faced an unusually enthusiastic crowd during the Rio game.

Kylie Dickson said the Brazilian audience's response to Thunderstruck was louder than anything the squad had experienced before. The noise was so intense that the cheerleaders could not hear the musical cue for their subsequent routine to Welcome to the Jungle, according to Vogue.

The halftime entertainment featured Brazilian performer Pedro Sampaio and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. Choreographer Parris Goebel, whose credits include work with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, combined the cheerleaders' established formations with Brazilian funk, samba, hip-hop, twerking and ballroom-inspired voguing.

Sampaio described the performance as a milestone for representation in the NFL's halftime programming.

"The intensity of the crowd in Brazil when it comes to sports and music...it's explosive," said Ricky Martin.

Martin also praised the atmosphere in Rio and expressed confidence that the event would stand out among international performances. The six-minute halftime medley included Sampaio's Sequência Feiticeira, Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca and the debut of their new duet, Pikito Pikito, Vogue reported.

Beyond the stadium, the NFL's Rio program included flag football clinics for women and young people ahead of the sport's planned debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The week also featured initiatives addressing women's inclusion in sports ahead of Brazil's 2027 Women's World Cup.