NEW ORLEANS — The NFL is formally headed Down Underneath. The league is hanging a regular-season sport in Australia for the primary time and that may happen in 2026. The Los Angeles Rams will function the house crew for the historic sport, which can be performed in Melbourne. Even supposing there have been reviews that the Philadelphia Eagles would even be enjoying in Australia, that would possibly not be the case. With the Rams serving as the house crew, that signifies that their opponent can be probably the most 9 groups they are scheduled to play at house in 2026 (Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, Giants, Cowboys, Chiefs, Chargers, TBD NFC North crew, TBD AFC East crew). The opponent can be introduced at a later date. The sport can be performed on the iconic Melbourne Cricket Flooring (MCG), which has a capability of simply over 100,000 enthusiasts.”Increasing to Melbourne, Australia, a good looking town with a wealthy sports activities historical past, underlines our ambitions to grow to be a world game and boost up world enlargement,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated in a observation. “Along with the Victorian State Govt, Discuss with Victoria and the Melbourne Cricket Flooring, and with the Los Angeles Rams in 2026, we stay up for making historical past in what’s the most important marketplace for the NFL and a vital subsequent step in increasing our world footprint.”
Rams proprietor Stan Kroenke stated his crew is extremely joyful to be making the historic commute.
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“After we first known Australia as one in all our world markets, it was once now not simplest on account of our passionate enthusiasts who are living there, but in addition on account of the necessary position Los Angeles performs in serving as a gateway to Australia and plenty of nations around the Pacific,” Kroenke stated in a observation. “That is the following necessary step for each the Rams and the wider Kroenke Sports activities & Leisure circle of relatives to proceed to amplify our achieve globally, and we’re extremely joyful to paintings with Commissioner Goodell and the league place of work to make historical past and convey the primary NFL regular-season sport to Australia.”Australia has a 16-hour time distinction with the jap time zone, which can without a doubt create some logistical problems for the NFL. The league hasn’t pinned down a date for the sport, however NFL government Peter O’Reilly stated it might most likely be a Week 1 sport.
“We would possibly not lock into to any scheduling right here, however the most likely situation could be a Week 1 sport,” O’Reilly stated. O’Reilly additionally added that it might most likely be an afternoon sport in Melbourne, which might make it a prime-time sport in america. As an example, if the sport kicked off at 12:30 p.m. in Melbourne on a Friday, that will be an 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Thursday evening in america. The league has agreed to a multi-year partnership with Melbourne, so there can be extra video games after the 2026 season. O’Reilly famous that the NFL regarded as each Sydney and Perth for in all probability web hosting a sport sooner than in the long run deciding on Melbourne. This would be the NFL’s 2d total sport in Australia. The Broncos and Chargers performed a preseason sport in Sydney again in 1999.
The NFL has been having a look to amplify into new towns. No longer simplest will Melbourne be getting a sport in 2026, however Berlin and Madrid will each and every be web hosting a sport for the primary time in 2025. Here is a have a look at the designated house groups for each and every world sport in 2025: The league stated that there might be extra world bulletins coming.
