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Melbourne to host in-season NFL games | 00:36
The Los Angeles Rams have confirmed they will be the designated team to travel to Melbourne, with the MCG playing host to the first ever NFL regular season game in Australia.
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The games will begin in 2026, with a “multi-year” agreement in place for the Rams and an opponent to travel ‘Down Under’.
Meanwhile, it’s yet to be revealed who they will play against and when the game will take place, however the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are the two franchises with Australian marketing rights.
“Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
“Together with the Victorian State Government, Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and with the Los Angeles Rams in 2026, we look forward to making history in what is an important market for the NFL and a significant next step in expanding our international footprint.”
Initially there were suggestions the Rams would play the Eagles in Melbourne, but because the Rams have been designated as the home team, this is not possible.
They instead will play one of:
– an NFC West divisional rival, the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals or Seattle Seahawks;
– the Dallas Cowboys;
– the New York Giants;
– the Kansas City Chiefs;
– the Los Angeles Chargers;
– the NFC North team who finishes in the same position in their division as the Rams do in 2025, either the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears;
– the AFC East team who finishes in the same position in their division as the Rams do in 2025, either the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins.
The match is expected to be played in the day, with a lunchtime start able to be beamed into the US in their primetime, during Week 1.
It would be unusual for a divisional game to be played overseas, and the biggest possible opponents the Cowboys and Chiefs may be too popular to send all the way to Australia (especially if the Chiefs are coming off another Super Bowl win).
The length of the flight to Australia will also be considered which could rule out the east coast teams like the Giants.
It is understood league officials previously visited the 100,000-capacity MCG to examine whether it was a ‘suitable venue’ for games to take place.
“We’re thrilled the NFL will be touching down in the sporting capital of Australia. Victoria is now the first-ever state in Australia to host a regular-season NFL game,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said.
“It’s a win for jobs, a win for businesses and a win for fans who will get to see American football played at the iconic MCG.”
