BroBible
The NFL has really expanded their series of international games lately, as they have moved into South America and all over Europe. Now, the league is getting ready to move into another continent.
The NFL is set to play a regular season game in Australia for the first time in 2026. That means that teams are going to be putting in some long flights to the land down under.
The NFL has kept international travel somewhat manageable for teams. The longest distance for a flight from the mainland for an NFL game has been the eight hours it takes to get to Germany and Brazil. Those are long flights, don’t get me wrong. But, the time change is only 5-6 hours in Europe and just an hour at most in Brazil.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced that Melbourne would host a game in 2026.
G'Day, Melbourne! See ya in 2026.
» https://t.co/fEF2UT26cC | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/tZLw4JrV1Q
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 5, 2025
First off, that will be cool for fans in Australia, as the NFL’s popularity is expanding rapidly there. And, fans of the teams playing, the Rams and a team yet to be named, now have a great excuse to vacation in one of the most highly-thought-of cities in the world and take in the game at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Grounds.
But, travel time is going to be brutal. Nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Melbourne last around 15 hours. And, the time change is brutal. Melbourne is 19 hours ahead of Los Angeles, and that will take a ton of time to adjust to for players.
I wouldn’t be surprised for this game to happen in Week 1, like the Packers-Eagles game in Brazil this season was. That would allow for the Rams and their opponent to get there well ahead of time, play the game on a Friday again, and have extra rest to adjust to the time change once back in Los Angeles.
It’s going to be a logistical nightmare, but the NFL can pull it off.
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