49ers vs Rams opens the 2026 NFL season at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first regular season game the league has ever staged in Australia or anywhere in the southern hemisphere. About 100,000 fans are expected inside a ground built for cricket and Australian rules football.
Kickoff is 8:35 PM ET on Thursday, September 10. This page turns live with the game: score, game leaders, box scores, play by play beside the game flow chart, and full team statistics all refresh on their own while the two clubs play.
The Rams are the designated home team even though the MCG sits roughly 7,900 miles from Los Angeles. Below are the kickoff details, the latest injury news, the trades that reshaped both rosters, and what 49ers vs Rams looks like on the ground in Melbourne.
49ers vs Rams Start Time, TV Channel and Live Stream
Date (US)
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Kickoff
8:35 PM ET / 7:35 PM CT / 6:35 PM MT / 5:35 PM PT
Local time
10:35 AM AEST, Friday, September 11
Live stream
Netflix, all plans
Venue
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
Home team
Los Angeles Rams
Netflix streams 49ers vs Rams worldwide, included in every plan, with no sports add on and no separate fee. There is no broadcast network option in the United States, so a Netflix account is the only live route. Pregame coverage starts at 6:30 PM ET with Elle Duncan hosting Michael Irvin, Nick Foles and Clay Matthews III. Noah Eagle calls the game with Luke Kuechly on analysis, Tom Pelissero and MJ Acosta-Ruiz on the sidelines and Terry McAulay on rules. The Jonas Brothers play at halftime.
Bosa and Kittle Headline the Injury Report
San Francisco released its first 49ers vs Rams injury report on September 8, the opening report of the 2026 season. Nine players were limited and one sat out. Defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. missed practice with a hamstring strain, and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu was ruled out after hurting a foot in Melbourne.
The two names that shape 49ers vs Rams were both limited and both are expected to play. Nick Bosa is working back from the knee he injured in Week 3 last season and has managed tendinitis through camp; defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said flatly that Bosa will be out there. George Kittle practiced at full speed after an Achilles injury, with offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak signaling a managed snap count rather than a full workload. Christian McCaffrey also returned to practice after an early rest day.
Los Angeles expects wide receiver Puka Nacua to go. Nacua strained a psoas muscle in August joint practices with Dallas, a rare injury deep in the hip flexor, and Sean McVay has pointed to his return to full speed as the encouraging sign. Left tackle Alaric Jackson is also expected to start.
Two Trades That Changed the NFC West
Two trades made 49ers vs Rams look nothing like last season's meetings. The Rams spent the offseason buying, not building. On June 2 they sent pass rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first round pick, a 2028 second and a 2029 third to Cleveland for Myles Garrett, who set an NFL single season record with 23 sacks in 2025 and won Defensive Player of the Year. Melbourne is his Rams debut. Los Angeles then traded four picks to Kansas City for cornerback Trent McDuffie. Pairing the reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford, with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is a first in league history, and the Rams scored 518 points last season, the only team above 500.
San Francisco answered in free agency. Mike Evans signed a three year deal worth about $60.4 million after twelve seasons in Tampa Bay, giving Brock Purdy a genuine outside threat. Dre Greenlaw returned from Denver to line up beside Fred Warner again, and Nate Hobbs and Christian Kirk joined on one year deals. The staff looks different too: Raheem Morris runs the defense after Robert Saleh left for Tennessee, and Klay Kubiak calls the offense.
49ers vs Rams: Two Opposite Travel Plans
The clubs solved the same problem in opposite ways, and it may be the quietest variable in 49ers vs Rams. San Francisco flew a traveling party of about 200 on a 15 hour Qantas charter and landed on Friday, September 4, buying a full week to reset body clocks. Melbourne runs 17 hours ahead of the Pacific time zone and the flight crosses the international date line, so the calendar loses a day in each direction.
Los Angeles chose the short stay. The Rams land on Thursday, September 10 local time, roughly a day before kickoff, on the theory that players still running on west coast rhythms never fully leave them. Neither team gets a break afterward, because both fly home and play again in Week 2.
Rosters are set for the opener. Full depth charts, results and schedules are on the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams pages, the rest of the opening slate sits on the 2026 NFL schedule, and the result moves the NFC West standings straight away.
Getting Into the MCG on Kickoff Weekend
Anyone attending 49ers vs Rams should plan an early morning. Gates open at 7:00 AM local, three and a half hours before kickoff, and the NFL Stadium Campus in Yarra Park opens with them. The NFL clear bag policy applies and it is stricter than the usual MCG rule: one approved clear bag plus one small clutch, with no coolers, luggage or seat cushions.
Tickets are mobile only through Ticketmaster and the NFL OnePass app, so download it before leaving the hotel. Rideshare pickup runs from Lansdowne Street near Gate 2 and Olympic Boulevard near Gate 6, and the venue shuttle runs until 90 minutes after the final whistle. The official MCG event page lists the full entry rules. Away from the ground, the NFL Kickoff Festival runs at Melbourne Park from September 10 to 12.
49ers vs Rams FAQ
What time is 49ers vs Rams in Melbourne?
Kickoff is 8:35 PM ET on Thursday, September 10, 2026. That is 7:35 PM CT, 6:35 PM MT and 5:35 PM PT, and 10:35 AM AEST on Friday, September 11 in Melbourne.
What channel is 49ers vs Rams on?
There is no television channel. Netflix streams the game worldwide and it is included in every plan, with no sports add on. Pregame coverage starts at 6:30 PM ET.
Where is the NFL Melbourne game being played?
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Yarra Park, Melbourne. The MCG is the largest stadium in Australia and holds about 100,000 people.
Is Nick Bosa playing in Week 1?
The 49ers expect him to play. Bosa was limited on the first injury report of the season with a knee issue, and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said he will be out there against the Rams.
Will George Kittle play against the Rams?
He is trending toward playing. Kittle practiced at full speed in Melbourne while working back from an Achilles injury, though the 49ers plan to manage his snap count.
Which team is the home team in Melbourne?
The Rams. Los Angeles gave up a home date to host 49ers vs Rams in Australia, so San Francisco is the designated visitor.
What time do gates open at the MCG?
Gates open at 7:00 AM local time, three and a half hours before kickoff. The NFL clear bag policy applies and it is stricter than the usual MCG rule, so bring one clear bag plus a small clutch.
Is this the first NFL game in Australia?
Yes. 49ers vs Rams is the first NFL regular season game played in Australia and the first anywhere in the southern hemisphere.
49ers vs Rams pits the league's highest scoring offense against a 49ers defense that finally has Bosa upright, in a stadium neither club has seen, at an hour neither is used to. Check back at kickoff for inactives and the live score.
49ers
LV
18-12
LAC
41-17
TEN
13-19
Rams
NO
34-0
KC
20-12
