San Francisco 49ers Facing Off Against Australia's All-Star Team in Epic NFL-AFL Battle!
The 49ers and Rams will play on Friday, but the game will air on Thursday.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 3: Fans visit Moscone Center for Super Bowl Experience and fun activities in San Francisco, California, United States on February 3, 2026. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images The San Francisco 49ers will travel to Melbourne, Australia , to open the regular season and face the Los Angeles Rams. The NFL has historically had the first game of the season on Thursday night.
That game, reserved for the Super Bowl champions, will take place on Wednesday night on NBC, according to Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal. Flint also mentioned the Melbourne game will be on Thursday–although the platform is still undecided. The 49ers will play on Thursday instead of Friday because it’s opening week.
The game will air domestically on Thursday, but it’ll be on Friday, September 11, around midday in Melbourne. This is probably a get-in-and-get-out situation for the 49ers. It would not be surprising if they flew back to California that night.
The initial reaction, at least from a fan perspective, is to call for a bye week to soon follow. However, the 49ers would have learned little about their team a few weeks into the season. The bye week in the middle of the season is generally the best time to have it.