49ers coach Kyle Shanahan not enthused about opening 2026 season in Australia: 'We'll deal with it'
· Yahoo Sports
The San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to begin their 2026 season in Melbourne, Australia, against the Los Angeles Rams. While that may be exciting for growing the NFL’s international footprint, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t enthusiastic about having to travel so far for his team’s opening game.
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“I don't see any pro,” Shanahan told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix on Monday.
“It's cool for the league to play globally. I think that's awesome,” he added. “But as far as the team doing it, no, there's not much benefit to it. Sometimes it's nice to get a bye week after, but doesn't happen in Week 1."
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan not exactly enthused about the long trip to Australia to open the season:
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 30, 2026
"I don't see any pro. It's cool for the league to play globally. I think that's awesome. But as far as the team doing it, no, there's not much benefit to it. Sometimes it's nice…
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The 49ers-Rams matchup is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11, in Melbourne, which is 15 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the United States. Thus, kickoff for the game will be at 10:35 a.m local time. But it’s ideally scheduled for prime time in the U.S., 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Shanahan referenced the significant time difference in a sarcastic response to questions about playing in Australia.
“Oh, so fired up,” Shanahan said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “So we’re going back in time or into the future? I think we gain a day or lose a day? Not sure which one yet, but it is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”
Though the game is scheduled for Thursday night, a network has not yet been announced for the broadcast, according to Pro Football Talk. Over 100,000 fans are expected to attend the matchup played at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
General manager John Lynch said the team is planning to travel to Australia a few days before the game to get accustomed to the setting and circumstances.
The 49ers will also play a game in Mexico City in December. The opponent for that matchup has not been determined and will be revealed with the release of the 2026 NFL schedule in May. With that, San Francisco will become the first team to play international games in different countries in non-consecutive weeks on the schedule.
“I think there’s eight international games [this season],” Shanahan said. “We got two of them. So we’re fired up about that.”