49ers and Rams make NFL history with first game in Australia
The NFL’s international expansion continues as the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams play the league’s first regular-season game in Australia on September 10. With both teams coming off playoff seasons and featuring star players like Matthew Stafford and Christian McCaffrey, the matchup promises to be intense and closely contested.
The NFL will open another chapter in its international expansion Thursday when the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams meet in Melbourne for the league’s first regular-season game played in Australia.
The NFC West rivals will kick off at 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 10, which will be 10:35 a.m. Friday in Melbourne, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The matchup brings together two teams that reached the playoffs last season and have developed a habit of playing close games, with four of their past five meetings decided by six points or fewer.
San Francisco owns a 78-71-3 advantage in the all-time regular-season series, although Los Angeles has won four of the past five meetings. The Rams took the most recent matchup 42-26 on Nov. 9, 2025.
Where to watch 49ers vs. Rams in Canada
Canadian viewers can watch the 49ers-Rams game nationally on Netflix. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. ET / 5:35 p.m. PT on Thursday.
DAZN Canada also provides broader NFL coverage throughout the regular season.
The unusual scheduling means fans watching from Canada will see the game Thursday night, while the teams will take the field Friday morning local time in Melbourne.
Stafford leads a revamped Rams roster
Los Angeles arrives in Australia after producing one of the NFL’s best offences in 2025.
Matthew Stafford enters the new season as the reigning AP NFL MVP after leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and a career-high 46 touchdown passes. The Rams averaged 30.5 points and 394.6 total yards per game last season, ranking first in the NFL in both categories.
Stafford also begins 2026 within reach of another career milestone. His 423 regular-season touchdown passes put him just behind Philip Rivers, who finished with 425 and ranks sixth all-time.
Puka Nacua remains one of Stafford’s primary weapons after leading the NFL with 129 receptions and finishing second with 1,715 receiving yards in 2025. Davante Adams, meanwhile, led the league with 14 touchdown receptions.
The Rams have also added significant star power on defence.
Myles Garrett is set to make his Los Angeles debut after recording 23 sacks with Cleveland and winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. Aaron Donald is also back with the Rams after retiring following the 2024 season.
Their presence gives Los Angeles two players who have won Defensive Player of the Year multiple times, something no NFL team had previously had on the same roster.
McCaffrey and Purdy lead San Francisco into 2026
San Francisco reached the postseason for the fourth time in five years last season despite Brock Purdy appearing in only nine games.
Purdy threw for 2,167 yards and 20 touchdowns in those appearances, completing 69.4 per cent of his passes. The 49ers still finished 2025 averaging 25.7 points and 351.4 total yards per game.
Christian McCaffrey again provided much of their offensive production.
The running back finished with 2,126 yards from scrimmage, including 1,202 on the ground and 924 receiving, while recording 17 total touchdowns. He also led all NFL running backs with 102 receptions.
McCaffrey has been particularly productive against Thursday’s opponent, recording at least 95 scrimmage yards in each of his six career games against the Rams.
San Francisco could also have a notable debut of its own. Mike Evans enters his first season with the 49ers after spending the previous 12 years with Tampa Bay. He has 108 career touchdown receptions, while Adams enters the matchup with 117.
That makes Thursday’s game the first Week 1 matchup since 2010 to feature opposing players with at least 100 career touchdown receptions.
The matchup also renews the coaching rivalry between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Shanahan holds an 11-8 record against the Rams, including postseason meetings, while McVay is 8-11 against San Francisco.
This time, their familiar NFC West battle will take place nearly 8,000 miles from California, with the 49ers and Rams carrying one of the NFL’s most competitive divisional matchups into a new market.
