The NFL is going global in a way it never has before, and if you want to know how to watch 49ers vs. Rams in Australia, you have come to the right place. On Thursday, September 10, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will kick off the 2026 season from the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first regular-season NFL game ever staged in Australia. It is an NFC West rivalry game that counts in the standings, wrapped inside a genuine piece of league history.
Here is everything you need: the kickoff time, where to stream it, who is calling the action, and the stars worth setting an alarm for.
The game airs Thursday, September 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. PT). Because of the 17-hour time difference, the teams actually take the field Friday morning at 10:35 a.m. local time in Melbourne, so you are watching a live morning kickoff Down Under on your Thursday night.
The venue is the Melbourne Cricket Ground, better known as the MCG, one of the largest stadiums in the world with a capacity north of 100,000. Picture an American football field dropped into the middle of Australia’s most famous sporting cathedral.
Most importantly for viewers at home: this one is a streaming exclusive. It is not on your local FOX or CBS affiliate.
The 49ers vs. Rams game is live on Netflix, and Netflix only. If you already pay for a Netflix subscription, you are set. Just open the app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, or browser and the game will be front and center.
There is no separate sports package or add-on to buy. This continues Netflix’s aggressive push into live NFL football after its Christmas Day games, and the league clearly trusts the platform with a marquee, first-of-its-kind broadcast. If you do not have Netflix, this is the week to reactivate that account you paused over the summer.
For the full slate of opening weekend games and where every matchup lands on your dial, check our complete NFL Week 1 2026 schedule and how-to-watch guide.
The league has spent years building out its international series in London, Munich, Madrid, and Sao Paulo. Australia was the obvious next frontier, and the NFL has finally planted a flag there. The 49ers were awarded the game as the designated home team, which is how a Week 1 matchup between two California-based clubs ends up on the other side of the planet.
For the NFL, the appeal is simple. Australia is a massive, sports-mad market with a growing appetite for gridiron football, and a live regular-season game in prime Australian morning time is a far bigger statement than any preseason exhibition. For the 49ers and Rams, it is a chance to grow a fan base 8,000 miles from home while still banking a divisional result.
You can read the 49ers’ official announcement and travel details on the team’s website.
Netflix is treating this like the event it is. Noah Eagle handles play-by-play with former All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly alongside him as the analyst, a sharp, modern booth for a modern broadcast.
The studio show is stacked too. Elle Duncan leads the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage with a trio of Super Bowl winners: Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin, former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles, and six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews III. Expect plenty of shots of the MCG, the crowd, and the novelty of American football in an Aussie setting.
The 49ers enter the season with championship expectations and a roster full of household names.
Brock Purdy runs the offense and remains one of the league’s most efficient young quarterbacks. Christian McCaffrey, when healthy, is still the most dangerous dual-threat back in football and the engine of Kyle Shanahan’s system. Tight end George Kittle is a matchup nightmare and one of the best blockers at his position.
On defense, keep your eyes on Nick Bosa. The star edge rusher can wreck a game plan by himself, and a Rams offensive line trying to protect its veteran quarterback will have its hands full from the opening snap.
The Rams counter with a battle-tested core led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has proven he can win the big one and still has the arm to stress any secondary.
His top target situation is loaded. Puka Nacua has emerged as one of the most productive receivers in the NFL, and veteran Davante Adams gives Stafford a second elite option who can take over a game. Running back Kyren Williams provides the physical, downhill element that keeps the offense balanced.
On the other side of the ball, young edge rusher Jared Verse headlines a fast, aggressive Rams front that loves to get after the passer. This is a defense built to make Purdy uncomfortable.
Do not let the novelty fool you. This is a real divisional game with real stakes. The 49ers and Rams have spent the last several seasons trading blows atop the NFC West, and a Week 1 head start in a tight division can be the difference between a home playoff game and a wild-card road trip come January.
Both teams also carry health questions and roster storylines into the opener, which makes an early read on who is ready and who is still ramping up especially valuable. A win here is worth exactly as much as any other, and neither side will treat 8,000 miles of travel as an excuse.
To recap the essentials: the NFL’s first-ever game in Australia kicks off Thursday, September 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. PT), live from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, streaming exclusively on Netflix.
It is history, it is a division rivalry, and it is the perfect appetizer before the full Week 1 Sunday slate. Grab the remote, open Netflix, and enjoy football from the other side of the world.
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