NFL fans facing reality of football’s global dominance with 19-hour time difference as league confirms sixth new country

The NFL’s global expansion just got supersized.

In 2026, for the first time in its history, the league will head to Australia for its most audacious grab at the sports landscape yet.

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With the eyes of the world on Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, the NFL took the chance to confirm that 15,000km away – in the iconic surroundings of the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground – Australia will play host to the league.

In addition as part of the ‘multi-year agreement’, the Los Angeles Rams have been announced as the designated home team, as one of the franchises with marketing rights in the region.

More than 5,000 accredited media from around the world are in New Orleans and in a sign of the sport’s growth a vast conference room on Radio Row was as packed as Super Bowl media availability this week.

“Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport and accelerate international growth,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“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.” 

Beginning in the 2026 season, the NFL will partner with the state of Victoria and the MCG with a deal that will see also see flag football initiatives and International Player Pathway commitments.

The announcement of Melbourne will present the NFL with its most significant challenge to date – namely a 19-hour difference with the West Coast of the United States, home of the Rams.

A 1pm kick off in Australia would be 5pm – the previous day – in Los Angeles. Times that would work for a TV audience in the US, but for coaches and players the difference of almost a whole day will be a challenge to be overcome.

Less than 72 hours previous, Goodell had doubled down on the league’s expansion plan – citing a desire for an international team and maybe even an international Super Bowl – at some point.

In 2023 NFL owners had voted to approve league plans for up to eight games to be played internationally and the Australia news means six are confirmed for the 2025 season.

“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,” said Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke.

“Today is an exciting day for Rams fans across the world, especially in Australia, where our players and organization have received an enthusiastic reception over the past few years when we have been in market.”

In January, the NFL announced that the Miami Dolphins would be the designated home team at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu for the first game to be played in Spain.

That followed confirmation that the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets would be the home teams for the three rounds in the UK.

Berlin joins Germany‘s rotation in 2025, after games in Frankfurt and Munich over the last three seasons.

Wednesday’s news means it is five confirmed international games in 2025 and Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium is expected to follow in due course after a three-year absence, while there remains speculation that Dublin could host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For now, it’s a sixth country to be added to the list with Ireland and France leading the chase to join the UK, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Brazil and now Australia in hosting a regular season game outside the United States.

In 2024 the NFL headed to Brazil for the first time as the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo – Goodell said in November that he ‘expected’ to be back, but no announcement on the country has been made as yet.

Ireland – which has been hosting college football for each of the last three years – is expected to follow and the Pittsburgh Steelers heavily tipped to be the home team.

Australia that has leapfrogged everyone, with a similar deal to those that have seen the NFL partner with the UK, Germany, Spain and Mexico.

Goodell is on record as saying he wanted to go ‘way beyond’ the initial eight games that owners have approved.

It’s fitting that Australia is announced on the eve of the Super Bowl where the Philadelphia Eagles starting left tackle Jordan Mailata is the poster boy for the NFL’s International Player Pathway.

The 27-year-old, famously, had never played the sport of american football but was invited to tryout at the IMG Academy in Florida in February 2018 and seven years later he is playing in his second Super Bowl, aiming to become the first Australian to win the Lombardi Trophy.

The NFL’s thirst is not letting up, the move Down Under almost gives them an extra day of the week such is the time difference – a flight from LA to Melbourne clocks in at more than 15 hours.

In the past time difference might have been on team’s radars as a concern but that has long since passed for teams who have the no expense spared approach to travel.

America’s Game is closing in on becoming the world’s.

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