American Football Comes to the MCG, and 100,021 People Turn Up

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 27–7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, in front of 100,021 fans — the seventh-largest regular-season crowd in NFL history. Brock Purdy threw three touchdowns.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, seen from Eureka Tower. The stadium hosted the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 13 September 2026 · 4-minute read

"Rams travel to Australia" was one of the rising travel searches on Google this week — and for good reason. The NFL has now played a game that counts in the standings on Australian soil.

The Result

Final score: San Francisco 49ers 27, Los Angeles Rams 7.
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Kick-off: about 10:35 a.m. on Friday 11 September, Melbourne time.
Crowd: 100,021 — the seventh-most attended regular-season game in NFL history.

How the Game Went

Brock Purdy led the 49ers with three touchdowns, supported by a strong defensive performance.

For the Rams, quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards with one interception. The Rams had arrived just 28 hours before kick-off after what was described as the longest road trip in NFL history.

A Historic Occasion

The Rams were named in 2025 as the designated team for the first NFL regular-season game in Melbourne, with the 49ers later confirmed as opponents.

The match was one of an NFL-record nine international games in 2026, played across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.

About the MCG

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the world's largest stadiums, holding around 100,000 people. It is the home of the AFL Grand Final and the Boxing Day cricket Test, and served as the main stadium for the 1956 Olympic Games — a fitting venue for a sporting first.

Why It Matters

For the NFL, a sell-out crowd at one of the world's great stadiums shows the league's global growth strategy working.

For Melbourne, the event adds another global sporting fixture to a city that already hosts the Australian Open, the Formula 1 season opener and the AFL Grand Final.

For fans, it brought a sport usually watched overnight on television into a local stadium.

More sport: Rybakina's US Open title, Antonelli's historic Monza win and Champions League matchday one.

Sources

"Touchdown Down Under for historic NFL match," Melbourne Cricket Ground — mcg.org.au
"49ers-Rams season opener draws historic crowd in Australia," Newsweek — newsweek.com
"Melbourne to host first-ever NFL regular season game in Australia in 2026; Rams designated team," NFL.com — nfl.com
"Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco 49ers," Melbourne Cricket Ground — mcg.org.au

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49ers Beat Rams 27–7 as 100,021 Fans Pack the MCG for the NFL's First Game in Australia