How Australia trip makes roster cuts more difficult for 49ers

With the San Francisco 49ers ' Week 1 trip to Melbourne, Australia, now about a week away, head coach Kyle Shanahan kept his focus on the logistics of getting there rather than the excitement of the matchup itself.

Asked how excited he is for the trip, Shanahan responded with some levity before turning serious.

"Trying to get me in trouble?" Shanahan said, laughing. "I'm just hoping our team's healthy enough and has the time to get there. Those are the challenges of it, just to get there to prepare for it. Guys still trying to recover to get there, the plane flight and things like that."

Shanahan has been candid about his reservations with the trip since it was first announced, previously saying he didn't see much upside for his team in playing an international game so early in the season. He's also noted the toll of the travel itself , with the 49ers set to log an NFL-record amount of mileage in 2026 partly because of the trip to Australia. Still, Shanahan struck a more optimistic tone Monday about what awaits the team once it arrives.

"But once you do get there and stuff, we're going to have fun playing in another country and it's going to be a cool atmosphere, things like that," Shanahan said. "That'll all be good. But right now, I'm just thinking of the challenges of getting our team ready for those three and a half hours."

San Francisco opens its season against the Rams on Sept. 10, with kickoff at 10:35 a.m. local time in Australia — 5:35 p.m. PT back home. The 49ers plan to depart nine days before kickoff to help players adjust to the 17-hour time difference, a stretch that will test the roster's health and preparation before the games even begin to count.