Rams, 49ers to play in NFL’s first game in Australia in 2026

A notable chapter in the rivalry between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will be written next season, when both teams participate in the first NFL game played in Australia. Specifically, Los Angeles and San Francisco will play a regular season match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. The precise date remains to be determined.

“Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sporting history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to making history in what is an important market for the NFL and taking an important next step in expanding our international footprint.”

While it’s been known for a while As the Rams headed to Australia, their opponent had not been revealed until Thursday. This will be only the 49ers’ second international game in the last 13 years and their first since 2022. San Francisco appeared in the NFL’s first international game by defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico in 2005.

“As we make NFL history and host the first regular season game in Australia, we are pleased to bring our annual game against our NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers, to the MCG,” Rams President Kevin Demoff said. “Since we first secured the marketing rights for the country in 2021 and more recently since announcing this match last year, we have seen immense enthusiasm for our team from fans in Australia and around the world. We look forward to spending this offseason continuing to deepen our connections with the Melbourne community ahead of the match this fall.”

One of the NFL’s biggest rivalries, the Rams and 49ers split their season series in 2025. Both teams posted 12-5 records during the regular season before advancing to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Both teams saw their seasons end at the hands of another NFC West rival, the Seattle Seahawks. The injury-depleted 49ers were defeated by Seattle in the divisional round, while the Rams lost a hard-fought NFC Championship Game.

The Rams-49ers game in Australia is one of nine international games that will take place in 2026, an increase of two games from 2025. Goodell recently said his goal is to reach 16 international games per season, with each team playing at least one game on the road.

“We are receiving very good reactions from our teams” Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl week press conference. “They all want to play. Our players loved it. One of the greatest things about last season was talking to our players and our coaches about how proud they were to be there and talk about the game to help globalize the game. They felt like ambassadors and they enjoyed the experience, and that’s definitely part of it.”