The San Francisco 49ers will bookend the NFL ‘s largest ever international slate, playing the 2026 season opener in Melbourne against the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams and facing the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11 in Mexico City.
The league had long ago announced the Melbourne matchup, its first game in Australia, and completed the unveiling on Wednesday morning, the day before the full schedule for all 32 teams will be released. The 49ers will be the road team for the Thursday night game on 10 September against the Rams on Netflix. That will actually take place on Friday morning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
In Mexico City, the 49ers will be the home team for a Sunday night game on 22 November against the Vikings, who last year played the NFL’s first international multi-city road trip with a game in Dublin in Week 4 followed by a game in London in Week 5. The Vikings were the away team in both of those games last year, too.
With nine games, eight stadiums, seven cities and four continents, this year will feature the most games outside of the US the league has ever staged. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said his goal is to get to 16 international games per season.
There are three games in London, the league’s most common international site, with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time moving consecutive home games abroad. They’ll play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 October and then face the AFC South rival Houston Texans in Week 6 at Wembley Stadium on 18 October. The Washington Commanders will be the home team at Tottenham on 4 October when they face the Indianapolis Colts.
The New Orleans Saints will be the home team for the first game in Paris in Week 7, facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on 25 Oct. The Detroit Lions will be the home team in Munich in Week 10, facing the New England Patriots on 15 November.
As previously announced by the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys will be the home team in Rio De Janeiro against the Baltimore Ravens on 27 September, and the Atlanta Falcons will be the home team in Madrid in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals on 8 November.
NFL INTERNATIONAL GAMES 2026
- 10 September – San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams (Melbourne, Australia)
- 27 September – Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- 4 October – Indianapolis Colts v Washington Commanders (Tottenham, London)
- 11 October – Philadelphia Eagles v Jacksonville Jaguars (Tottenham, London)
- 18 October – Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley, London)
- 25 Oct – Pittsburgh Steelers v New Orleans Saints (Paris, France)
- 8 Nov – Cincinnati Bengals v Atlanta Falcons (Madrid, Spain)
- 15 Nov – New England Patriots v Detroit Lions (Munich, Germany)
- 22 Nov – Minnesota Vikings v San Francisco 49ers (Mexico City, Mexico)
AP
