Where is 49ers vs. Rams being played? Location, stadium details and more for 2026 NFL Australia game

As the NFL opens the 2026 season, the league is taking its international game to a new level for a divisional matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams .

The two NFC West rivals will play a crucial regular-season game 18.5 hours away in Australia, the longest that any team has traveled to play a professional football game. While this is new to NFL teams, the location and stadium are as historic a sports venue as there is in the world.

While the game will kick off at night in the United States, the local time will be early Friday morning, giving teams a chance to play in the bright Australian sun. As a result, NFL fans should be able to get a full sense of this Australian stadium.

Here's a look at where the 49ers and Rams will be playing their Week 1 contest.

The 49ers and Rams are playing the first-ever NFL game in Australia, which will take place at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The stadium is located in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and is one of the most iconic venues not only in Australia, but in the entire world.

Melbourne Cricket Ground in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is one of the oldest sports stadiums in the world, as it was first established in 1853. Known locally as the "G", Melbourne Cricket has hosted many of the world's best sporting events, including the Olympics, World Cup qualifiers, and the Commonwealth Games, and it plays host to the Australian Rules Football Grand Final each year.

The Victoria State Government owns the stadium and appoints a select group of people to manage the grounds through the MCG Trust. The stadium has featured renovations twice in its existence, once in 1992 and again in 2006, and could undergo another renovation in 2032.

Melbourne Cricket Ground is home to several teams across a handful of sports in Australia. In Australian Rules Football, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Melbourne and Richmond all play home games at the stadium, while the Australia National Cricket team, the Victoria Cricket team and a few Melbourne cricket teams play their cricket matches there as well.

The stadium also hosts soccer matches for both the Australian men's and women's national teams, and the Melbourne Storm play their home Rugby matches there as well.