The San Francisco 49ers are set to face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 11, 2026, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is not entirely optimistic about the tour. The NFL has gone to great lengths to expand the game through its International Series, which has featured several games played abroad each season for the past several years.
What did Shanahan have to say about the international game for San Francisco?
Kyle Shanahan Expresses Doubt Over Australia Game Against Rams
The NFL International Series has received mixed responses from the football community. While fans abroad fill stadiums to watch some of the best the league has to offer, many U.S. supporters have been critical of the games.
The physical and mental toll that international games have on players is also significant. The 49ers and Rams will experience that at full effect when they fly roughly 15 hours to Melbourne in September.
Shanahan was asked about the challenging circumstances of playing a game on the other side of the planet. “Kyle Shanahan can’t think of a positive for 49ers to opening in Australia other than promoting NFL and football… ‘Our goal to go 15 hours away. We’re going back in time or into future. … It is what it is. We’ll deal with it,'” NFL reporter Cam Inman tweeted.
Kyle Shanahan can’t think of a positive for 49ers to opening in Australia other than promoting NFL and football
“Our goal to go 15 hours away. We’re going back in time or into future. … It is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) March 30, 2026
Not only are the 49ers playing a game on the other side of the planet, but they will also be playing against the NFC Championship runners-up from last season, the Rams. Los Angeles started NFL MVP Matthew Stafford at quarterback, running the most lethal offense in pro football (PFSN Offense Impact).
Next season might look a lot different, but all things considered, Shanahan and company will take on a challenge that has never been tried before: playing a regular-season game in Australia.
The furthest the league has previously gone to host a regular-season matchup was Madrid, Spain, which does not compare to the move to Australia. The Rams and 49ers will travel significantly further when they gear up to face each other in Melbourne.
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The NFL previously held the American Bowl series in Australia, but it was part of the league’s preseason. American Bowl games have also been played in Japan; however, the fact that a divisional rivalry matchup is scheduled for Australia puts the Rams-49ers game on another level entirely.
Whether this 15-hour trip has wider implications for the NFL schedule will be interesting to see.
