San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has already made it clear he is not thrilled about his team opening the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
When asked on Monday if he could find any positives about the international matchup, Shanahan didn’t hesitate.
“No, not at all. I don’t see any pro,” Shanahan said.
On Tuesday, Shanahan joined Matt LaFleur on Pro Football Talk Live with Mike Florio and Chris Simms, where the conversation turned to how the game came together. Shanahan insisted the Rams specifically requested the 49ers as their opponent—potentially eliminating one of San Francisco’s biggest advantages in the rivalry.
As NFC West foes, the 49ers and Rams meet twice each season—once at Levi’s Stadium and once at SoFi Stadium. However, matchups in Los Angeles have often felt like home games for San Francisco, with 49ers fans regularly filling the Rams’ stadium.
LaFleur commented, “I’m pretty sure the Rams lobbied for that game.”
The 49ers coach quickly backed that up.
“I know for a fact they did, and that’s what’s so bothersome,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully, the league will do right and let us play the Rams in Mexico, since we’ve gotta go out of the country twice, and they requested us. I’m requesting them in Mexico—not that that gives us an advantage, it’s just fair to make them go out of the country [twice].”
The 49ers are also scheduled to host a second international game in Mexico City—likely in December—though the NFL has not yet officially announced their opponent for that matchup.
While facing the Rams in Mexico wouldn’t be as big an advantage for the 49ers, Shanahan made it clear he’s open to facing the Rams abroad twice—just out of spite.
Simms asked Shanahan if he truly believes the Rams pushed for the matchup to avoid being overrun by 49ers fans in Los Angeles. The coach has little doubt that it largely played into the decision.
“And I get that,” Shanahan said. “That would suck to have to do silent cadence and have our home game at their stadium, so I get their ambitions, but they were rewarded that. So I’m just hoping we can get our request still. I’d love for them to come to Mexico.”
Shanahan added, “Our Mexican fan base is awesome.”
Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur say the Rams asked the NFL to send the 49ers to Australia with them.
LaFleur was “pretty sure,” Shanahan said, “I know for a fact they did,” adding he gets why they would, considering Niners fans’ annual takeover of SoFi Stadium.… pic.twitter.com/coJjKu2QnY
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 31, 2026