Sarah BarshopFeb 5, 2025, 04:15 PM ET
- Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Rams will host a game in Melbourne during the 2026 season, the NFL announced on Wednesday.
The game will be played at iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and will be the first-ever NFL game played in Australia as part of the league's multiyear commitment to play regular season games in the country.
The Rams' opponent, along with the date and kickoff time, will be announced at a later date.
"Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Together with the Victorian State Government, Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and with the Los Angeles Rams in 2026, we look forward to making history in what is an important market for the NFL and a significant next step in expanding our international footprint."
"We're thrilled the NFL will be touching down in the sporting capital of Australia. Victoria is now the first-ever state in Australia to host a regular season NFL game," Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan added in a statement. "It's a win for jobs, a win for businesses and a win for fans who will get to see American football played at the iconic MCG."
Starting during the 2025 season, the NFL can schedule up to eight international regular-season games per season.
In 2026, the Rams are scheduled to play nine games at home: against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and their same-place finishers in the NFC North and AFC East divisions.
Australia is one of the Rams' six International Home Marketing Areas, along with China, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
