The National Football League (NFL) has announced that the San Francisco 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams in the historic first-ever regular-season game in Melbourne.
No date or time has been announced for the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2026, which is part of an NFL record nine international games in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums this year.
The Rams had previously been named as one of the teams.
“As we continue our preparations for the NFL’s first-ever regular season game at the MCG in Melbourne, we are delighted that the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams," NFL Australia & New Zealand General Manager Charlotte Offord said in a media release.
“The 49ers are a popular franchise within the Australian market, and this rivalry game solidifies what we know is going to be an incredible NFL experience for our fans down under.”
49ers CEO Al Guido said this was a terrific opportunity to continue to support the NFL in its mission to grow the game.
"We look forward to working with the NFL to benefit local Australian communities through sport," he said.
Los Angeles Rams President Kevin Demoff said his club was pleased to take its annual match-up against its National Football Conference West rival, the San Francisco 49ers, to the MCG.
“Since we first secured marketing rights to the country in 2021 and more recently since the announcement of this game last year, we have seen tremendous excitement for our team from fans both in Australia and also across the world,” he said.
“We look forward to spending this offseason continuing to deepen our connection with the Melbourne community leading up to the game this fall."
The NFL said further details, including date, kick-off time, and ticket information, would be announced at a later date.
More than 50 regular-season NFL matches have been played outside the United States since 2005, but never before in Australia, which hosted a preseason match between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers in Sydney in 1999.
Seven NFL games will be played outside the United States this year, between 5 September and 16 November.
Teams will play in São Paulo, Dublin, London, Berlin and Madrid as part of the league’s long-term commitment to global expansion and year-round engagement in international markets.
Since the NFL played its first regular season game outside the United States, Munich, Mexico City and Toronto have also hosted games
The Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles hold international marketing rights in Australia and New Zealand as part of the NFL's Global Markets Program, an initiative that grants global marketing rights to clubs in markets outside of the U.S. to build brand awareness and fandom.
All 32 NFL teams participate in the program with rights across 21 markets. Since being awarded those rights in 2021, the Rams have expanded their presence in Australia through partnerships and key player initiatives.
