Rams go global with NFL game in Melbourne

New Orleans, LA (News4usonline) – The Los Angeles Rams and the NFL want to expand their pro football fan base. And beginning in 2026, that is going to come into fruition. The league announced during a press conference during Super Bowl LIX Week that the Rams will play host to an NFL game to be played in Melbourne, Australia.

“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,” Goodell added.  

Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff says this is a great opportunity for the organization to take its brand global.

“We’ve always viewed ourselves as pioneers, and the NFL, whether it’s on the football side or the business side, what a great opportunity for us to go to start the first NFL regular season game in Australia, and showcase to those fans and continue to build that relationship that we’ve been building since the NFL took over their international program,” Demoff said. 

The NFL’s announcement took place at the International Press Conference on Feb. 5, 2025. Demoff was part of a panel discussion that made the announcement official.  The move by the NFL to have the Rams host a league game in 2026 is just another step towards international expansion for the No. 1 sport in America. 

The league has already announced that the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will play NFL games in London this year. Also, getting in on the global market expansion for the 2025 NFL season are the Indianapolis Colts (Berlin) and Miami Dolphins (Madrid). 

The Rams, along with the Philadelphia Eagles, own marketing rights in Australia.   

“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.

Melbourne is no stranger to the international sports market. Melbourne played host to the 1956 Summer Olympics and is home to the Melbourne Victory Football Club. But the NFL figures to bring more global attention to Melbourne with its ever-widening fan base.  

 “We’re thrilled the NFL will be touching down in the sporting capital of Australia. Victoria is now the first-ever state in Australia to host a regular-season NFL game,” said Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan. “It’s a win for jobs, a win for businesses and a win for fans who will get to see American football played at the iconic MCG.” 

Demoff said the Rams are not about being satisfied with being just a Los Angeles-based sports organization. The organization wants to expand its reach to the football audience beyond any border, he said. 

“I think that our mandate from ownership and from the Kroenke family is to think globally,” Demoff remarked. “We sit in one of the largest international cities in the world-Los Angeles. Our stadium, SoFi Stadium, is in the flight path of virtually every city in Asia, in Australia, New Zealand to Mexico and anywhere else in the world. Being successful in Los Angeles means you have to be a global team.”