The San Francisco 49ers will play two international games during the 2026 NFL season. While the trip to Mexico City is relatively manageable—shorter than some of their East Coast road games—the same cannot be said for their matchup in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Week 1 contest represents a significant logistical challenge. The 49ers’ round-trip flight to Australia will be longer than the total travel distance of 10 other NFL teams over the course of their entire season.
Beyond the travel burden, the game also strips away a key advantage for the 49ers: playing at SoFi Stadium. Not only is Southern California an easy trip from the Bay Area, but the Faithful often turn road games in Los Angeles into de facto home games by filling the venue with red and gold.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch recently appeared on the Tom Tolbert Show, where Shanahan reiterated his frustration with both the travel demands and the Rams’ involvement in the scheduling decision—requesting the 49ers for the Week 1 international game.
“We only get three close fights, whether it’s Seattle, Arizona, and L.A.,” Shanahan said. “So to get one of those taken away is tough, just when you travel a lot—especially when it’s 19 hours away on an airplane. That’s not like a small flight. So, that stuff adds up/
“But no, I love our fans taking over SoFi. That’s awesome. That’s a cool thing. And I get why the Rams don’t want that. So it is what it is. I mean, it’s cool to play outside the country. It’s cool to be in a different stadium. It’s cool when we played in Mexico City. All that stuff’s cool.”
Still, Shanahan acknowledged the positives of such games for the NFL’s international games and the league’s continued push to grow the sport globally.
“It’s fun, the event. It’s cool for the sport. It’s awesome to do stuff globally,” Shanahan added. “But when it comes to being responsible for your team and what’s good for a team, no, that’s going to bother you, and I always hate when they reward your rivals, too.”