Los Angeles Rams Announced as Host of First-Ever NFL Australia Game in 2026

A detailed view of an NFL logo is seen on a football prior to the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on Dec. 28, 2024. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

History could be made on Sunday if the Kansas City Chiefs become the first team to three-peat as Super Bowl champions. Meanwhile, history was already made on the Wednesday before Super Bowl LIX when the NFL announced the first-ever regular season game to take place in Australia. The Los Angeles Rams will head Down Under to Melbourne during the 2026 NFL season and serve as hosts for the inaugural NFL Australia game.

The Rams’ opponent and the date for the game have not yet been announced, but the location has, with the match to take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which is on the Australian National Heritage List.

“Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“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 venue, which opened in 1853, hosts half a dozen teams in the Australian Football League and three cricket teams. It is also used to hosting big events, as two Summer Olympic Games, 1956 and 2000, have taken place at the stadium, as have multiple FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

The Melbourne event continues the NFL’s international footprint, which has increased exponentially in recent years. After playing in London, Munich, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the 2024 NFL regular season, the league has already announced three 2025 games again in London, the first NFL game in Berlin, and the first NFL game in Madrid.

Australia was a natural expansion locale, considering the high interest of the NFL amongst natives. In last season’s Super Bowl, the NFL said that the total audience for the game in Australia reached nearly three million, with an average of 1.2 million viewers. That was a 26 percent year-over-year increase and the highest total audience and average audience on record for the country.

It was in September 2024 that Goodell said, “We expect to be in Australia soon,” and less than six months later, he made it happen. Since Goodell made that proclamation, the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles were always identified as the two most likely teams to head Down Under for a potential game. That’s because those two franchises hold international marketing rights in Australia. However, the 2026 NFL Australia game won’t pit the Rams against the Eagles, as the two won’t play that season.

Amongst the possible opponents are the Rams’ three divisional foes—Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals—as well as the Cowboys, Giants, Chiefs, or Chargers. There are still two more home opponents for 2026 yet to be announced for Los Angeles, and they are pending on the 2025 NFL standings.

Rams owner, Stan Kroenke, released a statement where he mentioned the connection between Los Angeles and Australia.

“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,” said Kroenke.

This will be the Rams’ fifth regular-season game to take place outside the United States. Their previous four were in London, where they posted a 3-1 record. The Rams were scheduled to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Mexico City in 2018, but that game was relocated to Los Angeles after issues with the playing field made it deficient to host a football game. The Rams franchise has also played preseason games in Tokyo and West Berlin.

While the 2026 NFL Australia game will be the country’s first regular-season contest, it won’t be Australia’s first time hosting the NFL. The league used to hold an American Bowl series of international preseason games that saw games take place in locations like Barcelona, Tokyo, and Sydney. The Denver Broncos defeated the San Diego Chargers, 20-17, in a Sydney preseason game in 1999 in what, until 2026, is the only NFL game of any kind to take place Down Under.

Australia is both a country and a continent, making it the fourth continent that the NFL will visit for the regular season. The league checked off its third in 2024 by going to Brazil in South America, and with Europe a staple of the international schedule, that leaves just two other continents (not counting Antarctica), Africa and Asia, yet to host NFL regular season games. Asia has accommodated preseason games, with Japan hosting all 14 in the continent.