Although a leak in a local newspaper took the shock value away from the league’s announcement, Melbourne has been confirmed as the latest addition to the National Football League’s continually-expanding roster of venues.

The Melbourne Herald-Sun couldn’t help but reveal the announcement ahead of schedule, even going so far as to predict a Rams-Eagles matchup for the first game, but a ‘major announcement’ regarding the International Series had long been rumoured for Super Bowl week, so it wasn’t a complete surprise when the news broke in New Orleans.

As has become custom, the NFL revealed a multiyear commitment to play regular season games in Australia, beginning in 2026, as the league continues to take international games to new markets around the world. The addition of Melbourne follows hot on the heels of similar announcements confirming games in both Madrid and Berlin for the 2025 season.

As surmised by the Herald-Sun, the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), with the Rams — who hold marketing rights ‘down under’ as the designated ‘home’ team.

“Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reasoned. “Together with the Victorian State Government, Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and with the Los Angeles Rams in 2026, we look forward to making history in what is an important market for the NFL and a significant next step in expanding our international footprint.”

The NFL’s commitment to investing in the development of the game overseas recently led to the opening of a regional office covering Australia and New Zealand on Australia’s Gold Coast, the establishment of an NFL Flag football programme, also in 2022, and the official launch of the NFL Academy APAC in 2024.

The Rams-Eagles matchup rumoured was undoubtedly sparked by both teams holding hold marketing rights in Australia as part of the league’s Global Markets Programme, with the Rams already expanding their presence in the antipodes through partnerships and key player initiatives. Despite the speculation, the Rams’ opponent, along with game date and kickoff time, will be announced at a later date.

“When we first identified Australia as one of our global markets, it was not only because of our passionate fans who reside there, but also because of the important role Los Angeles plays in serving as a gateway to Australia and many countries across the Pacific,” team owner and chairman E. Stanley Kroenke explained. “Today is an exciting day for Rams fans across the world, especially in Australia, where our players and organisation have received an enthusiastic reception over the past few years when we have been in market.

“This is the next important step for both the Rams and the broader Kroenke Sports & Entertainment family to continue to expand our reach globally, and we are thrilled to work with Commissioner Goodell and the league office to make history and bring the first NFL regular season game to Australia.”

Australia is a significant global market for the NFL with a growing fan base of 6.6 million across the country, and has already staged a game, albeit in the American Bowl series of preseason games that preceded the current International Series. On that occasion, in 1999, the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers faced off in Sydney. This time around, the Melbourne game is the first game to be announced for the 2026 season, although it is widely expected to be joined by existing venues in London, Germany and Spain (as well as, potentially, Brazil and Mexico) in due course.

Fans can register to receive information on the 2026 NFL Melbourne game here: nfl.com/Melbourne