The 49ers Are About to Be Part of Something Special: NFL’s Latest News Set Stage for Unforgettable…
It’s still to be confirmed whether the San Francisco 49ers will be playing an international game in 2025, but they stand as a logical choice to share a piece of league history with their NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams in 2026.
The NFL confirmed on Wednesday that the Rams will make history in two seasons’ time by hosting a game in Australia at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
And the 49ers are among the most logical opponents to share that piece of league history with the Rams.
Why? Location, location, location.
It will be a long journey for the Rams and whichever team they face, but it’s one that figures to be significantly easier for a West Coast team than a potential opponent located further east that would face an even longer time of travel.
A long flight across the Pacific Ocean wouldn’t be ideal for the 49ers, but it would at least be more manageable than it would for many in the NFL.
The potential for the 49ers to play in an international game in 2025 is what makes their possible participation in the Melbourne game less likely.
San Francisco could face the Cleveland Browns in London next season, with the chances increased by the fact the 49ers are international marketing rights holders in the United Kingdom.
On top of that, they are also a potential opponent for the Indianapolis Colts when they play the first NFL regular-season game in Berlin, a city where the 49ers do have some history.
There are a lot of logistical challenges for any team playing an international game. The 49ers, who last played abroad in 2022 when they routed the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, have more than enough talent on their roster to win in spite of those issues. However, if the 49ers end up playing outside of the United States for a game next season, then head coach Kyle Shanahan is highly unlikely to want to deal with those problems for a second year running.
Still, as far as matchups go, Rams-49ers should be very high up the list for the NFL’s first trip Down Under.
