We've made it.
Chargers football is back as the Bolts play the **Chiefs in São Paulo, Brazi**l on Friday night. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. (PT) from Arena Corinthians and the game will be streamed for free on YouTube.
The Chargers-Chiefs betting line shows the Bolts are slight underdogs for Friday night.
Here are five final thoughts ahead of Week 1:
1. Massive Week 1 test
There's no love lost here.
When the Chargers meet the Chiefs on Friday night, it will be a battle against an opponent the Bolts know perhaps better than anyone else.
But it's also a team the Chargers — and everyone else in the AFC — is trying to catch.
"To come in, first game in Brazil, Week 1 ... I think it's going to be a big one for us, division rival," Ladd McConkey said. "The only thing we're focused on is going 1-0 right now. The Chiefs are a great team. We know what they're capable of, what they've done in years past.
"We know if we want to be the best, we have to compete," McConkey added. "Our division is tough, but to be the best you have to beat the best."
Justin Herbert added: "They're a very good team. We've got so much respect for them as opponents. They've had to much success in the NFL for years. It's a great opportunity for us to go out there and test us. We've put in a lot of good work in the offseason, through camp. We're just looking forward to going out there and having a great experience."
The Chargers will kick off Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh Era on an international stage, which also means a chance to make an early statement.
Harbaugh, who is 5-0 in his career in NFL season openers, knows the test that awaits Friday night.
"We're expecting them to be ready," Harbaugh said. "One thing you can expect from an Andy Reid-coached football team is they'll be ready.
"There will be unscouted looks. In an opener, there will always be some of that. Being aware of that, embracing that, there will be some improvising and adjusting," Harbaugh added. "Just ready, willing and able to adjust is another thing you have to expect when you play Andy Reid-coached team."
The Chargers hung with the Chiefs a year ago, just as they've done in other previous seasons. But a pair of one-score losses for the Bolts meant a ninth consecutive AFC West crown for Kansas City.
The goal Friday night is to take a small step toward trying to get back to the postseason, and possibly claiming the division along the way.
"We know always these are great battles, they're a great team," Derwin James, Jr. said. "We love playing them but I'm trying to do everything I can to get a win."
Daiyan Henley added: "It's about the season that's ahead of us. It's never about what has happened in the past. We've got the guys, we've got the coach, we've got everything we need right now to make that push. We believe that."