NFL will hold first game in Australia in 2026

NEW ORLEANS — The NFL said Wednesday that it would play its first game in Australia in 2026 as the league grows its international footprint.

The regular-season game will be held at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and feature the Los Angeles Rams as the designated home team in a matchup that will most likely be the season opener for both teams.

Australia is a major global market for the NFL, with a growing fan base of 6.6 million across the country, the league said.

“This is a significant step which underscores the global growth ambitions and the vision to take our game to more and more corners of the world,” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president, said at a news conference. “We’re thrilled.”

O’Reilly said the game would kick off a multiyear commitment to play games in Melbourne, the self-styled capital of Australian sport.

“Australia is a really important market for the NFL globally,” he said. “It’s a passionate sporting culture.”

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Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ president of team operations, said the club was eager for the trip even though it meant giving up a home game at SoFi Stadium.

“We’re a franchise that dreams big, and what a better opportunity than to play the first regular-season game in Australia,” Demoff said at the news conference.

“We’ve had marketing rights to Australia since the NFL opened up international programming, and we could not be more excited,” he added. “As soon as this opportunity came about, we were the first to raise our hands and say we want to play in that first game in Australia.”

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The Australian Football League (AFL) has first call on the use of the MCG during its season but said it supported an NFL game at the iconic stadium, even if it resulted in a scheduling clash.

“We have a long history of working with governments and venues to support major sporting and cultural events,” said a spokesperson for the AFL, the top flight of the local Australian Rules football code. “We will continue to work together to ensure arrangements are in place for our AFL fans and the wider community to experience the best of both worlds.”

The NFL made its first foray into South America at the beginning of this season with a game in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Next season the NFL is scheduled to play three games in London, a game in Berlin and one in Madrid.