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NFL confirms historic MCG game to be played on AFL semifinal weekend

NFL comfirms date and time for LA Rams versus San Francisco 49ers at the MCG

By Michael Doyle

Topic:American Football

10m ago10 minutes agoWed 25 Mar 2026 at 8:56pm

Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (84) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers safety Malik Mustapha (6)

The Rams and the 49ers will play in the first-ever NRL regular season game in Australia. (Reuters: Imagn Images/ Kyle Terada)

In short:

The NFL has confirmed the date and kick-off time for its maiden regular season game played in Australia.

The fixture will be played on the Friday of the AFL semifinal weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

What's next?

The Rams and the 49ers will play on Friday, September 11, with kick-off at 10:35am AEST.

The first-ever regular-season NFL game played in Australia has had its date confirmed, with the Melbourne Cricket Ground to host the historic match in the middle of the AFL finals series.

The clash between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, division rivals in the NFC West, will be played on Friday, September 11.

The kick-off for the highly anticipated match will be at 10:35am AEST, fitting into the NFL's prized Thursday night timeslot back in the US.

The timing of the match may cause headaches for the AFL, with its prized stadium being used during the league's semifinal weekend.

The AFL's new 10-team finals series will begin with a wildcard round in the final weekend in August, followed by the usual finals series format.

The semifinal weekend, where the two losers of the previous weekend's qualifying finals host the two winners of the elimination finals, is usually held on Friday and Saturday nights.

However, if two Victorian clubs are hosting on the semifinal weekend, they could force a rethink for the league with the NFL being played on the Friday.

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Posted10m ago10 minutes agoWed 25 Mar 2026 at 8:56pm

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