The Los Angeles Rams will play their Week 1 regular-season game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, with the Rams designated as the home team for the matchup.
This means that, for this season, there will not be an invasion of 49ers fans at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the Rams’ home venue.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recently said that not only does he love the fact that his club’s fans take over SoFi Stadium, but that he feels that could be a reason why the Rams requested this game in particular to be played in a neutral location, which will be the NFL’s first-ever game in Australia.
“Both, but more of that than the other,” he said via Coach Yac on X. “We only get 3 close fights, whether it’s Seattle, Arizona or LA, so to get one of those taken away is tough. Especially when it’s 19 hours away on an airplane. That’s not like a small flight. So that adds up and I love our fans taking over SoFi. That’s awesome and I get why the Rams don’t want that.”
In nearly every visit by the 49ers to the Rams’ home field, the crowd has been marked by a heavy red presence, thanks to large swaths of 49ers faithful who often seem to take over the building, creating an atmosphere that feels far from neutral and consistently works to the advantage of San Francisco.
The Week 1 matchup will be played on Friday, September 11, and is scheduled to begin 10:35 AM AEST (September 10 at 5:35 PT in the United States).
The Los Angeles Rams will play their Week 1 regular-season game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, with the Rams designated as the home team for the matchup. This means that, for this season, there will not be an invasion of 49ers fans at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the Rams’ home venue.