Los Angeles Rams to play NFL’s first game in Australia in 2026 in latest international matchup for the league

The NFL is officially headed to Australia.

The league announced on Wednesday afternoon that it will host a game in Melbourne during the 2026 season. The Los Angeles Rams are the official designated home team for the game, though it’s unclear who they will play in the contest or when. The Rams and Philadelphia Eagles hold marketing rights in the country, so it would make sense if the Eagles joined them.

The contest will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which seats just more than 100,000 people and is frequently used for cricket matches, rugby, soccer and more. The venue hosted multiple shows on Taylor Swift's most recent concert tour, too, and packed in a crowd of about 96,000.

The game marks the latest international contest for the league in recent years, which is something that Goodell said he wants to keep expanding. Five NFL games were played outside of the United States in 2024, and the NFL has frequently held games in London and Mexico. It recently expanded to Germany, and São Paulo hosted Brazil's first NFL game to kick off the 2024 season. The Miami Dolphins will play a game in Madrid next season, too.

Goodell said that the goal is to hold eight games in international cities during the 2025 season. The goal, he said, is to eventually double that number and get to 16 international games per season. That would require the NFL to expand its regular season to 18 games, which is something that he and league owners have repeatedly advocated for.

Eventually, Goodell said he thinks that the NFL could have an international franchise. If that's the case, he said, "I think it would not surprise me at all if a Super Bowl follows and is played there."

While some of those plans are still a ways down the road, the NFL's push down under marks the latest step for the league to accomplish those goals and continue expanding its footprint across the globe.