American football is coming Down Under, with the NFL announcing a multiyear commitment to play regular season games right here in Melbourne. Starting from 2026, they will play at the MCG, with the Los Angeles Rams as the designated team. The first opposing team, along with the game date and kick off time, will be announced at a later date.
NFL to play at Melbourne Cricket Ground
According to the NFL and the Victorian Premier’s office, this particular sport has a growing fan base of 6.6 million supporters in Australia.
“Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The NFL first touched down in Australia in 1999, with a game set between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers in Sydney as part of a series of international preseason games. The upcoming game in Melbourne will be the first-ever regular season game in Australia.
“When we first identified Australia as one of our global markets, it was not only because of our passionate fans who reside there, but also because of the important role Los Angeles plays in serving as a gateway to Australia and many countries across the Pacific,” said Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke.
Each year, there are 1,200 non-stop flights between Melbourne and the USA. Just last week, it was announced that Delta Air Lines will deliver three new direct flights each week from LA to Melbourne from December onwards.
Keen to check it out? You can register to learn more about the Melbourne game here.