Rams Join 49ers in Melbourne Ahead of Australia's First NFL Game
The Grammy-winning trio will perform at halftime as the NFL stages its first regular-season game in Australia for more than 100,000 fans.
- On Friday, September 11, 2026, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, drawing a sold-out crowd of about 100,000 fans.
- Contrasting travel plans defined preparation: the 49ers arrived a week early to acclimate to the 17-hour time difference, while the Rams landed roughly 24 hours before kickoff, attempting to stay on California time.
- Fans from over 33 countries purchased tickets for the historic match, and NFL data shows Australian fan interest grew 54% from 2022 to 2025, reaching 8.8 million people.
- Following the defeat, Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters he hopes his team does not play in Australia "ever again," clarifying the sentiment stemmed from travel logistics rather than the "great atmosphere."
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell views Australia as a permanent fixture for international expansion, with the league's contract with the state of Victoria securing two more matches in Melbourne over four years.
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127 Articles
Sean McVay torches Rams-Australia partnership with one press conference quote
One of the more peculiar elements of the NFL’s quest for world domination is their colonial era designations of foreign markets for specific teams. The league’s first game in Australia was meant as a showcase for the Los Angeles Rams, who spent years building up a following there. The Rams are one of four teams…
Which is why NFL coach Sean McVay from the Los Angeles Rams upsets the Australians, and which expression could prove to be a boomerang.
Sean McVay: 'We're not playing in Australia ever again'
In the lead-up to last week’s season-opening game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, a lot was made of the Rams’ decision to arrive in Australia just one day before the game. That didn’t seem to work out well for the Rams, and it sounds like head coach…
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