NFL to play regular-season games in Australia beginning with 2026 season

Throw some extra shrimp on the barbie, beause the NFL’s heading for Melbourne!

American football has never been more popular, with quarterbacks Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens among the biggest names at the sport’s most visible position. Their reach, as well plenty of other players and teams, has reached new heights thanks to international markets with football-frenzied fans.

With that, the NFL revealed big news for the 2026 NFL regular season.

Where is the NFL expanding play in 2026?

The NFL continues to expand its global footprint, announcing Wednesday that regular-season games will be played in Australia beginning with the 2026 season.

Daniel Kaplan was the first to break the NFL-in-Australia news, with both Adam Schefter and he continuing to share details as available. Kaplan points out that the Australia games announcement “comes after NFLPA took issue with expansion of international games.”

The move is also sure to be a hot-button topic for NFL fans, some of whom see expansion as a great move for the sport, while others view it as a detriment to the quality of the game.

Those who remain skeptical point to the travel involved and the potential for one team to have a leg up on their opponent as the “home” and more-adjusted squad. The NFL is now an international phenomenon, and commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear he intends to make it as big a worldwide enterprise as possible.

What teams will play first NFL game in Australia?

As for the initial games in Australia, Schefter points out that the Los Angeles Rams are the “designated home team” in 2026, and will play a home game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Rams are locked in as one half of the first matchup to be played on Aussie soil. Schefter also notes that the NFL has agreed to a multi-year commitment to play games in Australia.

When will the NFL play in Australia?

As shared by Kaplan, in speaking about the partnership NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly also stated that the game would likely be an opening-week event — with kickoff taking place in the morning local time (Australia), and during the evening in the United States.

How far away from US is Australia, and what is the time difference?

Depending on where in the US one is located, a trip by plane to the center of Australia takes anywhere between 12 and 20 hours. Traveling from the New York metropolitan area to the center of the continent of Australia is roughly 10,512 miles, and a 16-hour time difference.

Though the continent of Australia is 16 hours ahead of the ET time zone, the most common route is to travel west (back in terms of time zones), and across the US and over the Pacific until reaching mainland Australia. Travelers from NY must endure a crazy bout of jet lag, first gaining three hours as they land at LAX, then losing 13 hours as they race the clock forward landing in Melbourne.

Knowing the game will take place at MCG gives us a bit more clarity regarding travel. The stadium is near the southeastern tip of Australia, a stone’s throw away from Tasmania. This will cut the travel time down slightly, but not meaningfully even for West Coast teams. Los Angeles (LAX)-to-Melbourne (MEL) is still at best a half mile under 7,938 miles and around 10 minutes over 15 hours in the air.

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It remains to be seen just how far in advance the NFL will have the Rams and their opponent head to Melbourne, and also if the game will be the opening (read: Thursday) matchup of the season, like was the case with Brazil hosting the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles at the outset of the 2024 NFL season.

The encouraging news is that teams returning home will essentially gain a day the second they land on US soil. It’s likely that additional west coast/ AFC West and NFC West teams find their way to playing in Melbourne. How do you feel about the news that Australia has entered the NFL lexicon?