Herald Sun: LA Rams vs Eagles in Melbourne, Australia October 2026 (UPDATE: Rams named home team)

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Wow I hope these teams have a month off afterwards to recover, that is a brutal trip from Philly or LA

 

18 RSG then 3-4 more PG and travel like this. Jeez! but we're worried about player health

[CincyBillsFan]

5 hours ago, chongli said:

Reported by the Herald Sun in Australia [paywall only], but not confirmed by the NFL or teams involved, so take it as you will.

 

 

 

https://www.cbssports.com/writers/jeff-kerr/

 

NFL in Australia: Eagles owner will play in first game Down Under, but under one condition

 

"Per the Herald Sun, the Eagles and Los Angeles Rams are the two teams scheduled to play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in October of 2026. The Eagles gave up a home game this season when playing in Brazil, and this would be the case for 2026 based on the report. The Rams are a designated home opponent for the Eagles, so Philadelphia would again be asked to give up a home game"

 

https://www.sportspro.com/news/nfl-melbourne-australia-games-mcg-rams-eagles-regular-season-2026-february-2025/

 

Melbourne ‘set to host’ NFL games at MCG

 

Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams lined up for the league’s first match in Oceania.

 

"The league’s interest in playing in Australia was first confirmed last year. According to the Herald Sun, NFL officials visited the MCG last August to investigate the viability of staging games at the venue. Victoria state premier Jacinta Allen is said to have personally played a key role in negotiations, with a deal to make Victoria the sole Australian state to host NFL matches.

 

The NFL opened an NFL Academy on the Gold Coast last year, and claims there are already 6.6 million American football fans in Australia. The Rams and the Eagles, who have former Australian rugby league player Jordan Mailata on their roster, currently hold global marketing rights for the country."

 

----------

 

[But from the same CBS Sports article:]

 

"If the Philadelphia Eagles decide to play in Australia, they won't be making the same deal as the last time they played an international game. The Eagles are reportedly set to play in the league's first regular-season game in Australia, but owner Jeffrey Lurie will not give up a home game this time in order to do so"

 

[...]
 

Lurie won't be giving up a game at Lincoln Financial Field in 2026, the season the Eagles are scheduled to have nine home games. 

 

"We are a natural team to play there," Lurie said. "If there's an opportunity to be an away team there, we will embrace that."

 

The NFL has a significant officiating problem but like Nero fiddling as Rome burned, Goodell and the Billionaire Boys Club are focusing on playing all over world.  Where next - Antarctica? Fix the refs then play a game at Timbuktu.

 

 

 

 

[BullBuchanan]

I wonder if they should just play the Super Bowl abroad. no team should have a home field advantage for that game anyway, and what better way to get foreign markets involved than with the biggest game of the year? It would add a lot of spectacle for TV viewers, and it's not like normal people got o the Super Bowl anyway.

[MiltonWaddams]

if NFL players think that the jet lag for Europe games is bad, wait until they get a load of this one.

[Aussie Joe]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

MCG is an incredible venue.

For cricket and Australian Rules football…

 

Its terrible for sports played on a rectangle shaped field like Rugby League and Soccer….and no doubt NFL….. the crowd will be some distance from the playing area…

 

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

11 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

MCG is an incredible venue.

Went to an Aussie Rules all-star game there a long time ago. Excellent. 

[Briscoe89]

Australian here, I live in Melbourne and I have followed the Bills since 1990…the MCG holds 100,000 and I guarantee you it will sell out with Australian’s rather than any holiday makers from the States.  Melbournian’s are literally sports mad and will watch anything that comes through no matter what the cost is.  It’s not by accident we only have a population of 3 million odd in the metro area yet have the F1 Grand Prix and Grand Slam tennis come through each year - they are guaranteed money spinners.  We literally get a public holiday for an Australian Rules football game each September and a horse race each November…

Edited yesterday at 01:42 AM by Briscoe89

[boyst]

I'm really quickly coming to a thought process that the NFL is trying to NASCAR. 

 

If it wasn't for Josh Allen I'd probably be a casual fan by now. 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

9 hours ago, Amaru523 said:

I'm pretty sure Goodell is aiming for global dominance and he'll stop at nothing to achieve it. 

[SydneyBillsFan]

12 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

MCG is an incredible venue.

 

It's a LARGE ROUND cricket ground.

 

Completely the wrong size and shape, fans will miles from the sidelines.

 

Not suitable for an NFL game.

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, SydneyBillsFan said:

 

It's a LARGE ROUND cricket ground.

 

Completely the wrong size and shape, fans will miles from the sidelines.

 

Not suitable for an NFL game.

They used to play NFL in baseball stadiums. I'm sure they can find a way to make it work. 

[zow2]

Australia seems ok for a one off game... the Mexico and Brazil experiment should end.  We just don't need NFL games there.   

 

London and Munich seem very popular and NFL fans in Europe can get their fix at either venue.  That should be it.  

Edited 18 hours ago by zow2

[djp14150]

Rams are to be the home team

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43704880/rams-host-first-ever-nfl-game-melbourne-australia-2026

 

im guessing this would be a mid/ late November ( Black Friday) or early December game 

 

after the clocks roll back and wussies move forward the time difference is 5 hrs from west coast+ day later

 

a Saturday noon local time would be 5 pm Friday on west coast, 8 pm on east coast . Sunday noon local would be a Saturday night game.  In 2026 Veterans Day is a holiday there so it would be on Wednesday in 2026 so it could be a Tuesday night game.

[Aussie Joe]

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

They used to play NFL in baseball stadiums. I'm sure they can find a way to make it work. 

Of course they will “make it work”…. But there are other grounds that would have provided a more suitable experience for the crowd and sport of NFL than a gigantic cricket oval bigger than the baseball stadiums you refer to… I predict there will be considerable criticism about this when the game is played…but they obviously preferred the extra money from the extra 20,000 crowd and from the local State  Government ( the same one that reneged on the Commonwealth games ) ..

 

10 hours ago, zow2 said:

Australia seems ok for a one off game... the Mexico and Brazil experiment should end.  We just don't need NFL games there.   

 

 

Apparently the deal in Australia is for three games ( to start with ) 

Edited 8 hours ago by Aussie Joe

[chongli]

These are the 2026 home opponents for the Rams:

 

Cardinals

49ers

Seahawks

Giants

Cowboys

Chiefs

Chargers

TBD NFC North team

TBD AFC East team

 

Pray the Rams don't repeat as division titlists in 2025, since that increases the Bills' chance of playing in Australia (assuming we win the AFC East).

 

 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by chongli

[Aussie Joe]

12 minutes ago, chongli said:

These are the 2026 home opponents for the Rams:

 

Cardinals

49ers

Seahawks

Giants

Cowboys

Chiefs

Chargers

TBD NFC North team

TBD AFC East team

 

Pray the Rams don't repeat as division titlists in 2025, since that increases the Bills' chance of playing in Australia (assuming we win the AFC East).

 

 

 

Probably it will be the Cardinals out of those teams ,,, which will be a bit of a disappointment… might have to see who the NFC North team is …

[RiotAct]

Lulz