Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Getty
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches the action against the New Orleans Saints.
Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams will make history in 2026, playing the San Francisco 49ers in the first-ever NFL game in Australia.
Details have been scant, but the Rams will lose a home game as a result.
However, more information has become available. It has painted a clearer picture of the Rams’ ground-breaking tilt against one of their NFC West rivals. The game will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds.
49ers-Rams in Australia Game Week Revealed
Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams speaks with head coach Sean McVay during a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
McVay’s Rams have played internationally before. Both they and the 49ers shared multiple messages expressing excitement about their upcoming opportunity. Now, they have more clarity, and the game will be here quicker than some anticipated.
Puck’s John Ourand wrote on February 10 that the game will be on Week 1.
The exact time slot remains unclear. However, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio broke down where it “gets interesting” for both the 49ers and Rams regarding the schedule.
“The Melbourne representative at the NFL’s Super Bowl media center said the game will be played on a Sunday afternoon, U.S. time. With a 16-hour flight from L.A. and San Francisco (14.5 hours back) and a 19-hour time difference, playing the game on the Sunday of Week 1 would put both teams in a bind when it comes to preparing for their Week 2 games,” Florio wrote on February 11.
“Unless both teams will be getting a very early bye, it makes far more sense to start Week 1 on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. That would give both teams ample time to travel home and get ready for Week 2, which for them would be two weeks later.”
Florio noted that the game could also be a “useful trial balloon” for the league.
The NFL moved away from Labor Day games in 2001. However, with little competition and greater access thanks to mobile viewing, McVay and the Rams could be test subjects.
Rams Get Early Super Bowl Love
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts against the Dallas Cowboys.
McVay and the Rams bowed out of the postseason in the NFC Championship Game. They are still hitting the 2026 offseason viewed as one of the favorites to get to the Super Bowl in the upcoming campaign.
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall and Chad Graff ranked the Rams second in the NFL. They moved them four slots up from their previous ranking and called them “the real runners-up.”
They surpass the New England Patriots and trail only the Seattle Seahawks.
“Let’s take a moment to appreciate the games that the Rams and Seahawks gave us this year. Seattle won two of three, and every game was a banger,” Graff and Kendall wrote on February 10. “None of the games was decided by more than four points, and the games featured 10 lead changes. League MVP Matthew Stafford says he’s coming back next year, so expect both of his games against Seattle next year to be in prime time.”
ESPN’s Doug Greenberg wrote on February 8 that the Rams were tied with the Seahawks for the best odds (+650) to win the Super Bowl next season. It would mark the third trip and second win for the Rams during McVay’s tenure.
Rams Schedule Coming to Light
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts against the New Orleans Saints.
The full schedule will have an impact on their preseason strength rating and outlook. Notably, the Rams split their two regular-season meetings against the 49ers in 2025. San Francisco also pushed to overtake LA for the No. 5 seed down the stretch.
The Rams already know who they will face in 2026. The 49ers were on the list twice as divisional foes.
All that is left to sort out are the whens for each game, including final details about Week 1.
McVay and the Rams went 7-1 at home during the 2025 regular season. The 49ers are responsible for that lone loss. That game, like the Rams’ costly loss to the Seahawks in Week 16, came in overtime.
There is plenty of reason for the NFL to continue backloading schedules, slotting games between division rivals like McVay’s Rams and the 49ers.