Feb. 2, 2026, 2:08 p.m. PT
The San Francisco 49ers may be heading south of the border to play one of the games on their 2026 schedule.
Team owner Jed York in an interview with Imagen Sports’ Emilio Leon Baz indicated the club, which has nine home games scheduled for 2026, has spoken to the league about giving up one of those home dates to play an international game for the first time since 2022.
“So, we always have communication with the league,” York said in an interview posted to Baz’s Instagram account (h/t Niners Nation). “For us Mexico is one of our markets. We will most likely give up a home game this season to play abroad, and Mexico is always number one on my list.”
The 49ers last went abroad for a showdown with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. San Francisco routed their NFC West rival 38-10 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on a Monday night.
If the 49ers are heading to Mexico it’ll mark the 13th year in a row that they’ve avoided playing overseas. Their last time playing an international game anywhere other than Mexico City was in 2013 when they blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-10 at Webley Stadium in London.
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It’s unclear which team the 49ers would face in their international battle.
They have their trio of NFC West opponents on their home schedule. They’ll also play host to the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins.
Arizona and the Los Angeles Rams would both make a ton of sense for travel reasons. Denver, Las Vegas and Miami could also be in the mix if the NFL is looking to avoid an inordinately long flight for the 49ers’ opponent.
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