Melbourne beat bids from Sydney and Perth to safe the rights for the primary regular-season NFL sport to be held in Australia.
The NFL on Thursday morning confirmed the sport can be held on the MCG in 2026 and have the Los Angeles Rams, who will quit one among solely 9 dwelling video games within the 2026 season to play in Melbourne.
Whereas their opponent and actual date of the sport has not been introduced, it was earlier reported the Philadelphia Eagles would even be coming Down Beneath.
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The sport can also be anticipated to be held within the opening week of the competitors in September, probably clashing with the AFL’s finals collection.
The Rams and Eagles maintain present advertising and marketing rights in Australia underneath the league’s World Markets Program.
Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. Getty
Outdoors the USA, the NFL has additionally held common season video games in London, Munich, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Mexico Metropolis and Toronto.
Chatting with media together with Huge World of Sports activities on Thursday, NFL govt vp Peter O’Reilly mentioned the enlargement into Australia was “a giant assertion”.
“Most likely just a few years in the past you won’t have thought his was a actuality, however the commissioner and the 32 homeowners share a dedication to turning into a worldwide sport correctly,” he mentioned from New Orleans, which is able to host the Tremendous Bowl on Monday morning (AEDT).
“Which means increasing our footprint. Which means going to totally different elements of the world … and we go (to Melbourne) as a result of there’s such a robust fanbase already. It will solely speed up that.”
O’Reilly was joined within the announcement by Victorian sports activities minister Steve Dimopoulos, LA Rams president Kevin Demoff, and the NFL’s AUNZ boss Charlotte Offord.
O’Reilly mentioned the NFL held discussions about taking the sport to Perth and Sydney earlier than Melbourne emerged as the popular vacation spot.
“Australia is lucky to have a number of nice cities, nice stadia … the partnership with the individuals right here right this moment, the partnership with the stadium, allowed Melbourne to emerge as this primary companion. And positively there are nice cities, however that is the place we’ll take our first step.”
Demoff mentioned the Rams had been “the primary to lift our palms and say ‘we wish to play in that first sport in Australia’.”
“We all the time view ourselves because the franchise of firsts, and to dream huge, and what higher alternative to play the primary common season sport in Australia within the league’s historical past,” he mentioned.
“We couldn’t be extra excited.
“We have had so many gamers go to Australia and speak about how a lot of a significant expertise it was to them.
“For our model, sitting within the coronary heart of LA … for us to go worldwide and quit sport at SoFi Stadium, it needed to be a very significant alternative, and this match the invoice from the start.”
O’Reilly advised the matches won’t be held yearly, and whether or not or not the Rams can be a daily characteristic can be determined after the primary sport.
“We’re centered on 2026 when it comes to designated group proper now,” he mentioned.
“It’s a multi-year dedication, which implies it is greater than the sport – it is a year-round partnership as we work with Victoria and Melbourne.
“There can be a number of video games out there. What we’ll work via as we concentrate on 2026 is what the best cadence is.”
The NFL’s enlargement into Australia started three years in the past when it opened an workplace, adopted by an academy on the Gold Coast final 12 months.
“Increasing to Melbourne, Australia, a phenomenal metropolis with a wealthy sports activities historical past, underlines our ambitions to develop into a worldwide sport and speed up worldwide development,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned in a press release.
“Along with the Victorian state authorities, Go to Victoria and the Melbourne Cricket Floor, and with the Los Angeles Rams in 2026, we look ahead to making historical past in what is a crucial marketplace for the NFL and a big subsequent step in increasing our worldwide footprint.”
Jordan Mailata, a former junior rugby league participant from Sydney, will play Monday’s Tremendous Bowl for Philadelphia.
At a Tremendous Bowl media name earlier this week Mailata was requested about the potential of NFL video games being performed in Australia.
“It’d imply all the pieces to deliver a sport again dwelling. Only for eyes and viewership,” Mailata mentioned.
“I actually need this sport to develop again dwelling, so if we will deliver a sport again there to generate curiosity and hold the expansion of the sport going, that’d imply lots to me.
“One of the best factor about soccer is you could play at any dimension, at any peak. I am 6 foot 8 (203cm), however there are guys on my group (who’re lots smaller).
“There are totally different heights and totally different sizes of each teammate of mine, and I feel that is what makes the game stunning.”
