Melbourne to host NFL Game in 2026

NEW ORLEANS — NFL Executive Vice President of Club Business and League Events Peter O’Reilly confirmed the league will be heading to Melbourne as its next international expansion with the Los Angeles Rams as the designated home team for a game in 2026 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Melbourne Herald Sun reported on Sunday the NFL would have three future regular-season games at Melbourne Cricket Ground, naming the Rams as the likely home team and suggesting it would play against the Eagles, which features lineman Jordan Mailata, an Australian native. The Herald Sun said Victorian government “has been in secret negotiations with the NFL for several months.”

The NFL has been active in Australia with nine players being part of its overseas development pipeline. O’Reilly said the country has seven million NFL fans and will partner with Visit Victoria as well as the local government on the game.

“Australia’s a really important market for the NFL globally,” O’Reilly said. “It’s a passionate nation of sporting fans.”

Victoria Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos boasted of his region’s ability to put on major events, cultural attractions and “the best coffee in the country.”

“It’s historic for the sports capital of the country,” as Dimopoulos added. “It is the perfect place for the NFL to bring its international audience and attention.”

The Rams, alongside the Philadelphia Eagles, hold marketing rights in Australia as part of the league’s Global Markets Program. The NFL opened its Australia and New Zealand office in 2022 on Australia’s Gold Coast, established an NFL Flag football program in 2022 and officially launched the NFL Academy APAC in 2024.

“This is a big statement,” O’Reilly said. “Probably a few years ago, you may not have thought this was a reality. I’d say the commissioner, the 32 owners, there’s a commitment to become a true global sport property. That means expanding our footprint, that means going to different parts of the world and exposing more fans around the world, in this case fans in Australia and Melbourne, to our great sport.”

O’Reilly said the game will likely be played in Week 1 to give the teams time to acclimate to the time zone and promote the game. It would likely be scheduled for prime time on the East Coast of the United States, which could mean a start time of about noon in Melbourne. When the NFL had its first game ever in Brazil this season, the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles played in Week 1.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Monday the league could hold a Super Bowl outside of the United States if the league expands to have an international team but as of now, and international sites haven’t been considered.

“I do think there’s potential that someday we will have an international franchise. If we do, it would not surprise me at all if a Super Bowl follows and is played there,” Goodell said.

A Super Bowl outside of North America would present challenges in terms of time zones for the U.S.-based broadcasters. Sunday’s game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET. For the NFL to have that kickoff time for an international Super Bowl, the game would start at 11:30 p.m. London time, for example.

Beginning next season, the NFL can schedule up to eight league-operated regular season games internationally. The league has already announced the Miami Dolphins will play in Madrid at Bernabéu Stadium along with the Indianapolis Colts as the home team for a game in Berlin at Olympic Stadium.

Cleveland, Jacksonville and the New York Jets each will play a home game in London in 2025. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host games featuring both the Jets and the Browns. The Jaguars will return to Wembley Stadium; of the 55 NFL regular-season games been played around the world in league history, London has hosted 39 of those.