The 2026 NFL season will commence in Melbourne, Australia, with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers employing distinct travel strategies for their international matchup. The Rams have chosen a compressed schedule, departing after Tuesday's practice and arriving in Melbourne on Thursday morning, with the game approximately 24 hours later. They plan to depart immediately after the game for a rapid return to Los Angeles.
This approach involves approximately 30 hours of flight time for the Rams to cover more than 15,000 miles. The team is projected to land back in Los Angeles around midday on Friday, having been away for less than 72 hours in total. Rams head coach Sean McVay defended the decision, stating it is based on the team's experiences and what they believe is best.
"It doesn´t mean that we think we´re right and a different approach is wrong," McVay said. "It´s just what we think is best based on the things that we´ve done and what we´ve learned over our time here."
The Rams adopted a similar strategy last season when they played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, arriving on Saturday, playing on Sunday, and returning home quickly. However, that trip involved less trans-Pacific travel as it originated from the East Coast of America following a previous game in Baltimore.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford indicated the team aims to maintain a sense of normalcy. "I feel like we´re just keeping it as normal as we possibly can," Stafford said. "Sunday [is] like a Wednesday for us in our world. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, hop on the plane and go. We obviously have experience with doing it [in a] different direction, all that kind of stuff, I understand last year in London, but it felt like it worked out for us."
In contrast, the San Francisco 49ers arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday, September 2, landing Friday morning, to allow for more acclimatization time. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris reportedly missed his 50th birthday on Thursday, September 3, due to the team's early itinerary.
All Rams players and coaches are expected to have lie-flat seats for the 15-hour flights. The Rams and 49ers are scheduled to kick off from the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 8:35 p.m. EST on Thursday in the U.S. The NFL's 2026 regular season officially begins the night before, with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots at 8:20 p.m. EST.