The San Francisco 49ers may be heading down south of the border this NFL season for a Monday Night Football clash with an NFC West in Mexico City.
The Niners are no stranger to an out-of-country game, with San Francisco playing three times in the past 20 years in nations other than the United States. However, it has nearly been 10 years since the team’s last international game.
Now, reports out of Mexican outlets are now being given credit by stateside NFL insiders Matt Maiocco and Matt Barrows, of NBC Sports and The Athletic respectively. After El Universal reported that the 49ers were confirmed as the Arizona Cardinals’ opponent for the NFL’s game in Mexico City, Maiocco and Barrows tacked on with their own info.
“I heard game is tentatively scheduled for late November,” Barrows responded to a fan on Twitter on April 6. Maiocco then responded to Barrows saying, “Think [Monday Night Football].”
They aren’t written out reports, and both reporters are using words like “tentatively” and “think,” but both Barrows and Maiocco are highly respected reporters on the 49ers beat and El Universal is a prominent Mexico City newspaper. With all those contributing factors, it seems like a lock that the 49ers are playing at the Estadio Azteca in 2022.
It’s also worth mentioning that Associated Press sportswriter Josh Dubow responded as well, saying that the NFL has typically scheduled Mexico City games on Revolution Day.
“Revolution Day is Monday Nov. 21. That’s usually the weekend they schedule the games,” Dubow Tweeted.
Change of Scenery Could Help (or Hurt) 49ers
Playing in Mexico City is exciting on its own, but mixing things up could be good for San Francisco considering their recent woes against the Cardinals.
While 49ers fans loved mentioning that head coach Kyle Shanahan had swept the Rams in the regular season for three straight years from 2019 to 2021, the team’s success against the Cardinals has been far more infrequent.
Football Database shows that since the two teams’ games in the 2015 season, Arizona is 11-3 against the 49ers. San Francisco swept the Cardinals in the 2019 season, but the Cardinals won eight straight games before that, sweeping San Francisco in four straight years.
However, a change of scenery doesn’t necessarily mean success. The 49ers have a positive record in other countries, but their one international loss came at the Estadio Azteca and against the Cardinals.
49ers Track Record in Mexico City and U.K.
When San Francisco plays in the United Kingdom, they’re undefeated. Granted, that’s just over two games, but they’ve proven they can win overseas. In 2010, the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 24-16 in London before defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-10 in 2013.
Their lone international loss came at the hands of the Cardinals in the team’s lone visit to Mexico City. Arizona handily beat San Francisco 31-14, as both teams played in front of 103,467 fans at the Estadio Azteca, according to the 49ers’ official website.
Now, they get a shot at “redemption,” although that game has long exited relevancy. Either way, the 49ers get to play on an international field for the first time in 9 years, and potentially on Monday Night Football no less.
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49ers Playing International Monday Night Football Game in 2022: Reports