For the San Francisco 49ers, the road to the Super Bowl in 2026 may begin long before kickoff, and it will not be defined by opponents alone.
As the league’s upcoming schedule takes shape, a new off-field challenge is emerging that could test the team’s endurance from the very start of the campaign.
With international commitments and coast-to-coast trips already on the calendar, San Francisco’s 2026 slate is shaping up to be one of the most physically demanding in recent NFL history. And while the spotlight often falls on matchups and primetime games, the sheer distance the 49ers are set to travel this season could become an early storyline with real implications for their championship pursuit.
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Per the latest report by Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers are set to cover more than 38,000 miles during the 2026 NFL season, which would mark the highest travel total by any team in a single season.
The demanding schedule includes international trips to Australia and Mexico City, as well as cross-country travel for games in Atlanta and New York, which would significantly increase the team’s overall mileage for the year.
As Schefter noted, citing data from Bill Speros, no NFL team has previously logged this many travel miles in one season. The extensive travel requirements are expected to make San Francisco’s 2026 schedule one of the most physically taxing slates in recent league history.
With upcoming trips to Australia and Mexico City, not to mention Atlanta and New York, the 49ers will travel over 38,000 miles this season — more miles than any team has traveled in any one season, per @billsperos. pic.twitter.com/49rwzIiRyv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 19, 2026
Based on the available 2026 schedule details for the San Francisco 49ers, a significant portion of that mileage will come from international commitments. It includes a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, which alone accounts for approximately 15,738 miles of travel.
San Francisco is also slated to host a designated home game in Mexico City, which will add another 3,854 miles to the season’s total despite the game not being played at Levi’s Stadium. Their domestic road schedule further adds to the burden with cross-country trips to face the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta (4,258 miles) and the New York Giants in New York (5,111 miles).
Jan 29, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; A San Francisco 49ers helmet at the Golden Gate Bridge
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Additional away games include visits to the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale (1,224 miles), the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City (2,958 miles), the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle (1,412 miles), the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington (2,934 miles), and the Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood (616 miles).
Taken together, the combination of two international games and multiple long-haul domestic trips is expected to push San Francisco’s 2026 travel to a league-high figure that no NFL team has previously logged in a single season.
In the 2025 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers were already among the more heavily traveled teams in the league, but nowhere near what they are about to face in 2026. Per Sports Illustrated, San Francisco was expected to travel 28,363 total miles during the 2025 season, ranking fifth-highest in the NFL that year.
With issues like injuries, electricity substation theory is already swirling around the 49ers, the new travel schedule adds another variable in their journey for the 2026 NFL season.
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