‘Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi’: NFL, Los Angeles Rams Heading To Australia in ’26
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 06:50PM By Barry Janoff
February 5, 2025: In the midst of Super Bowl LIX frenzy to conclude the 2024 season, the NFL today confirmed its plans to hold its first regular-season game in Australia in 2026 as part of a multi-year commitment to play regular season games in Melbourne.
The Los Angeles Rams were named as the home team for the game, to be played in the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has a capacity of about 100,000.
“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 via the league.
“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.”
The league said that Australia is a “significant global market for the NFL with a growing fan base of 6.6 million across the country.”
Sydney and Perth were also being considered, according to league analysts.
The opponent and date are still TBD. A Web site has been launched to share details.
The Rams, along with the Philadelphia Eagles, hold marketing rights in Australia as part of the league’s Global Markets Program.
The initiative awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S., through fan engagement, events and commercial opportunities.
“When we first identified Australia as one of our global markets, it was not only because of our passionate fans who reside there, but also because of the important role Los Angeles plays in serving as a gateway to Australia and many countries across the Pacific,” Rams owner/chairman E. Stanley Kroenke said via the team.
“Today is an exciting day for Rams fans across the world, especially in Australia, where our players and organization have received an enthusiastic reception over the past few years when we have been in market.”
A promo spot proclaims, “In 2026, Australia will become the Rams House.”
The Rams have six international home marketing areas, also including China, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
In 1999, Sydney was the site of a pre-season game between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers in Stadium Australia (now known as Accor Stadium), before a crowd of 73,811.
The Melbourne Herald Sun in Australia earlier this week reported that “the NFL is close to playing three games there over the course of several years, beginning with the Los Angeles Rams in October 2026.”
During a Super Bowl press conference, commissioner Goodell talked about the league’s overseas expansion and possible international franchise and Super Bowl.
"If we do, 18 (regular season) and 2 (pre-season it) might be a possibility" to have a team based overseas. "We know fans love football and they want more football. But we have to be incredibly sensitive and smart with the balance and how we deal with that.
"I do think there's potential that someday we're going to have an international franchise," Goodell said. "If we do, it would not surprise me at all if the Super Bowl is played there.”
Travel and other logistics are key to finalizing the NFL’s Australia plans.
A direct flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Melbourne International is about 16 hours.
Australia is 16 hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern Time zone, 19 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
Australia’s season are opposite from the U.S., so Fall in the U.S. is Spring in Australia.
Melbourne is also the home to the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam, played in January.
“Expanding to Melbourne, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth.”
According to the Rams, since being awarded Global Markets Program rights, they have expanded their presence in Australia through partnerships and key player initiatives.
“This is the next important step for both the Rams and the broader Kroenke Sports & Entertainment family to continue to expand our reach globally,,” said Kroenke. “And we are thrilled to work with commissioner Goodell and the league office to make history and bring the first NFL regular season game to Australia.”
In broadening its international footprint to Australia, the NFL said it is “committed to investing in the development of the game year-round across the continent and across the Asia-Pacific region.”
The NFL opened its Australia and New Zealand office in 2022 on Australia’s Gold Coast, established an NFL Flag football program in 2022 and officially launched the NFL Academy APAC in 2024.
The recently opened NFL Academy on Australia’s Gold Coast is operated in partnership with A.B. Paterson College for athletes 12-18 years-old across the Asia-Pacific region.
“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,” Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan said via the NFL.
“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.”
In 2025, the NFL has confirmed games in London, Berlin and Madrid as part of the international games slate to date.
Fifty-five regular season NFL games have been played around the world throughout the league's history, with London, Munich, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto all hosting games to date.
The NFL can now schedule up to eight league-operated international regular season games per season.
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