With previous confirmations of the NFL entering into a “multi- year” agreement to play in Australia, questions remained about how the league would sustain its international push. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this Friday, stating that the NFL will have its first regular-season game played in Melbourne in 2026. And after that, the league has some long-term plans.

“There's no question that we're going to be playing here again," Goodell said. "Our view is that we're coming here for the long term. We don't come as a one-off. This isn't a circus. This is something that's an investment in this market, and we believe that this is long-term and will be great for the NFL long term.”

The historical Week 1 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will be played on September 11. The venue is Melbourne Cricket Ground, an iconic stadium that seats more than 100,000.

Goodell also hinted at the possibilities of a 2027 game happening in Australia when asked further about the long-term plans. Though he said it "might" happen. It more or less depends on the ticketing, as the tickets for the 2026 game were sold out within minutes of going on sale.

"Every ticket that we put out for public sale was gone in a matter of minutes," Goodell said. "I think that's a demonstration of the demand for this event.”

While the excitement to see the NFL on an international ground is palpable, not everyone is excited about it, especially the coaches. 

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several Niners players, including Christian McCaffrey, have complained about the length of the trip and the 17-hour time difference between Melbourne and the West Coast, per CBS Sports. 

Roger Goodell Counters Shanahan With Lighthearted Travel Fix

Kyle Shanahan raised concerns about the demanding travel schedule, with the 49ers expected to make a roughly 17-hour trip to Australia before quickly turning around for Week 2.

"I don't see any pro," Shanahan said March 30. "It's cool for the league to play globally. I think that's awesome. But as far as the team doing it, no, there's not much benefit to it.”

According to CBS reports, Shanahan also pointed out that the Niners were picked to travel for the game that far. The Seattle Seahawks wanted to be the chosen ones, but the NFL went ahead with San Francisco.

Goodell addressed the time concerns raised by Shanahan.

"Coaches have a focus on winning, that's their number one job," Goodell said, via ESPN Australia. "Coach Shanahan is enthusiastic and a great football coach and also someone who truly understands the importance of expanding our game globally. But his job is to win. I always like to say that coaches like to play at [1 p.m.] and [4 p.m.] and don't get in the way of that.”

Goodell also suggested an application for helping with Shanahan's jet lag.   

"I have an app for [Shanahan], which I'm going to send to him," Goodell said. "My wife hooked me up with an app, and I got to tell you, I feel great. I have not felt any jet lag at all. We've been here since Tuesday morning and I thought it was a relatively easy trip."

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will make history by opening the 2026 NFL season in Australia, kicking off at 10:35 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 (local time), which translates to an 8:35 p.m. ET Thursday night start in the United States.

What do you feel about the NFL going international? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore