San Francisco 49ers defeat Los Angeles Rams in Australia opener

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 on September 11, 2026, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The game served as the first NFL contest held in the country. The Los Angeles Rams arrived in Melbourne roughly 24 hours before kickoff, a travel strategy that deviated from the San Francisco 49ers’ plan to arrive a full week ahead of the game. Despite consulting experts on jet lag management, the Los Angeles Rams appeared sluggish throughout the matchup. Head coach Sean McVay stated during his postgame press conference that the travel schedule was not the reason for the team's performance. The team previously utilized a similar, shorter-haul travel plan for a game in London last year that resulted in a win, but the longer duration of the flight to Australia proved to be a factor in their loss.

• 4:15 PMYahoo Sports — Rams’ travel plan was a bust, never to be repeated