The National Football League is heading to Australia for the very first time as the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground prepares to host an NFL regular season match in 2026.
With the NFL accelerating its global expansion, Melbourne is the latest city to be added to the International Series calendar, accompanying London, Paris, Munich, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City on the 2026 schedule.
A record nine international games will be played in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.
Here's everything you need to know as the pinnacle of American Football heads down under for a landmark competitive fixture.
Date
The NFL will visit Melbourne on Friday 11th September 2026, with the match scheduled to start at 10:35am Australian Eastern Time.
Venue
The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the first-ever NFL regular season game in Australia.
With a capacity of over 100,000, the MCG is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere and the eleventh-largest stadium globally.
As well as being the birthplace of Test cricket in Australia, the MCG is also home to Aussie Rules and has hosted a number of different sporting events and music concerts through the years, with a record-breaking 109,500 fans in attendance for Ed Sheeran's Mathematics tour in March 2023.
Teams
It's been confirmed that NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Melbourne.
The two teams reached the playoffs last season and both were eliminated by eventual Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks; the 49ers were dominated 41-6 in the Divisional Round, before the Rams were beaten 31-27 in the NFC Championship match.
The match will take place in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season.
How to get tickets
NFL Melbourne tickets will be available to purchase via Ticketmaster and go on general sale at 10:00 AEST Wednesday 8th April.
It's understood over 150,000 people have already registered their interest in attending the event.
