The San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night to open the 2026 regular season in a history-making game — the 1st NFL regular-season game played in Australia.
While the game is Thursday night in the United States, it’s on Friday morning in Melbourne, and here’s everything you need to know to watch the game stateside.
- Who: San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
- When: Thursday, September 10, 7:35 p.m. ET
- Where: Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne, Australia)
- TV: Netflix (streaming only)
- Odds: LAR -3.5, O/U 48.5
The Melbourne Cricket Ground 1st opened in 1853 and is 1 of the most famous stadiums in the world. It has a capacity of approximately 100,000, which is around 30,000 more than the home stadiums of both the 49ers and Rams.
Travel Plans: 2 Different Paths for 49ers & Rams
The biggest storyline for the 49ers and Rams headed into Week 1 has been their wildly different travel plans.
The 49ers have been in Australia for more than a week, choosing to leave way ahead of the game to acclimate ahead of the season opener.
The Rams chose to show up for the game just 1 day before kickoff, taking the roughly 16-hour flight on Tuesday night.
49ers Suffered Brutal Injury During Aussie Practices
Sorry, substation truthers, but the 49ers can just get hurt anywhere, apparently.
Starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon injury just days ahead of the season opener.
In his place will be 2nd-year defensive tackle C.J. West and rookie Gracen Halton.
The 49ers did get some really positive injury news from NFL All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who did not appear on the injury report on Thursday morning after he tore his Achilles tendon on January 11 in an NFC Wild Card Round win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
From ESPN: “Breaking: 49ers TE George Kittle is off the injury report and scheduled to return to play tonight in Australia against the Rams.”
“49ers star TE George Kittle, who tore his Achilles on Jan 11 and has been aiming for a Week 1 return, is now off the injury report with no game designation,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “He’ll play against the Rams, completing an improbable comeback. DL Nick Bosa (knee) also has no game status.”
How to Watch San Francisco 49ers Play Rams in Week 1: Kickoff Time, TV & Odds