Rams Join 49ers in Melbourne Ahead of Australia's First NFL Game
- On Friday, September 11, 2026, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, marking Australia's first regular-season National Football League game before more than 100,000 fans.
- The 49ers arrived a week early to acclimate to the 17-hour time difference, while the Rams employed a 'fly in, fly out' strategy, landing approximately 28 hours before kickoff to minimize jet lag disruption.
- Head coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers dominated the matchup, holding the Rams to a single touchdown and demonstrating the effectiveness of extended acclimation over the 16-hour journey to Australia.
- The Victorian government estimated the event injected more than $300 million into Melbourne's local economy, validating the investment under a four-year hosting contract between the NFL and the state of Victoria.
- NFL International managing director Gerrit Meier told Reuters the league remains committed to annual Australian games, stating, "We're working off the hypothesis that we need to make a commitment to a market.
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119 Articles
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…
‘Made Me Jealous’: NFL Reporter Praises Melbourne’s Sporting Precinct After Historic Clash
General view of play during the NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 11, 2026. (Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
“We’re Not Playing in Australia Ever Again”: Sean McVay Makes Honest Admission After Rams’ Embarrassing Week 1 Loss to 49ers
At times, prior success does not guarantee that things will go right this time too. That’s what happened with Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams in Australia. Last time, they handed the Jacksonville Jaguars a loss a day after landing in London. But this time, their luck did not favor them, and now McVay has taken […]
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