NFL: Regular season games in Melbourne starting 2026
For the first time in history, the National Football League will play selected regular season games in Australia. The LA rams have already been announced to be playing in the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2026.
In 2007 the NFL hosted a league game in a another country (in London) for the first time. In the following years the league intensified their efforts abroad playing games in Mexico, Brazil and Germany and it will continue do so. In 2025, up to eight international games will be allowed, with Berlin and Madrid as debut-locations, and further matches London once again. In 2026 Melbourne, Australia will be added to the list.
The NFL announced a multiyear commitment to play regular season games in Melbourne beginning in 2026 as the league continues to take international games to new markets around the world and grow the game year-round through global partners, programs and initiatives. The NFL's first-ever regular season game in Australia will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2026, with the Los Angeles Rams as the designated team. This is due to the fact that Australia is a significant global market for the NFL with a growing fan base of 6.6 million followers across the country.
„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. „Together with the Victorian State Government, Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and with the Los Angeles Rams in 2026, we look forward to making history in what is an important market for the NFL and a significant next step in expanding our international footprint.“
„We're thrilled the NFL will be touching down in the sporting capital of Australia. Victoria is now the first-ever state in Australia to host a regular season NFL game,“ said Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan. „It's a win for jobs, a win for businesses and a win for fans who will get to see American football played at the iconic MCG.“ (stadiaworld, 06.02.2025)
