Once again, there is more indication the 49ers will be playing a game in Mexico City during the 2026 NFL season.<\/p>\n
ESPN reporter John Sutcliffe, who is based in Mexico, reported Wednesday that San Francisco will participate in a game held at Estadio Banorte in the upcoming season, which the NFL announced last week<\/a>. Sutcliffe posted his report to X in Spanish.<\/p>\n “San Francisco 49ers, that is the team that will play in Estadio Banorte in this 2026 season that ,” Sutcliffe said in the video, translated to English. “It’s the San Francisco 49ers, I can confirm that.”<\/p>\n Sutcliffe also acknowledges the NFL already has announced San Francisco will play an international game<\/a> next season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. However, the 49ers have done a lot to grow their fan base in Mexico as well — they hold international marketing rights in the country — making them a desirable team for another international game.<\/p>\n In an interview last week<\/a> with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, team CEO Al Guido said it was “safe to say the 49ers will be playing at least one international game in 2026.” Guido added the organization has notified season ticket holders and sponsors that an international game was likely to take away one of the 49ers’ nine scheduled home games.<\/p>\n Likewise, principal owner Jed York stated last week<\/a> San Francisco “will\u00a0most likely give\u00a0up a home game this season to play abroad” and indicated his preference for that game to be in Mexico City.<\/p>\n San Francisco has been announced as the road team for the Melbourne game against the Rams, taking up one of the 49ers’ eight road games. Therefore, it seems likely the Mexico City game would be hosted by the 49ers, leaving them with eight games at Levi’s Stadium and seven “true” road games to fill out their schedule.<\/p>\n Entering 2026, the 49ers’ most recent international game also was played\u00a0in Mexico City, when they beat the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 in 2022.<\/a><\/p>\n Sutcliffe didn’t offer any indication as to when the Mexico City will be played or who the 49ers will face, so those factors still appear to be on the table. So for the time being, the Faithful must wait for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to make a formal announcement.<\/p>\n