The time and date are set for the Los Angeles Rams' Week 1 contest, which will be played in Australia.
The Los Angeles Rams are set to play their bitter division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in Week 1 of the first-ever NFL regular season game in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rams' opponent and location have been set, and now so has the time. Los Angeles will play the second NFL game of the 2026 season on Thursday, Sept. 1,0 at approximately 5:35 p.m. PT at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Local kickoff time will be at 10:35 a.m. Friday. It is still unclear which network will broadcast the game.
The Rams' other division rivals and Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, will play on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for their season opener. Seattle's opponent will be announced with the full schedule release later this spring.
The last time the NFL started its season on a Wednesday was in 2012, when the defending Super Bowl champion, the New York Giants, hosted the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams will kick off their 2026 season against the 49ers in a primetime matchup — at least in the United States. With the game taking place in Melbourne, there will be a 17-hour time difference compared to Los Angeles.
The first-ever game in Australia will be one of nine games that will be played outside of U.S. soil. The NFL will take its game more global than ever this season, spanning four continents and seven countries. It will be the largest international slate in league history.
The NFL will also play its first-ever regular season game in France. The New Orleans Saints are set to travel to Paris. On top of that, the NFL will return to Mexico City for the first time since 2022.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell noted how he wants the game of football to be a global sport.
"It's the ambition we have to be a global sport," Goodell said. "But it's also the demand we're having. We're hearing from cities that want to host these games and really want to get more American football."
Regardless of where the game is played, the Rams and 49ers' matchups in the last few seasons have yet to disappoint. Last season, the two teams split the season series, 1-1, each winning on their opponent's home field.
The Rams trail the all-time season series 79-72-3 in 154 total meetings. At one point between 2019 and 2023, the 49ers had defeated the Rams in nine regular season meetings in a row. However, for the past two seasons, the Rams have been the ones who have dominated, winning four of the last five contests.
Los Angeles will look to sweep the 49ers for the second time in the last three seasons.