By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-06 01:36:08 | Updated at 2026-08-06 11:18:15
14 hours ago
The Los Angeles Rams will arrive in Australia just one day before their NFL season opener against the San Francisco 49ers - a decision which has left fans split.
The two NFC West rivals are set to battle it out in the first ever NFL game Down Under after the league added a new country to its International Series, with the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground hosting their historic Week 1 matchup on September 10.
Given it takes 14-16 hours to fly from California to Australia, and the fact that Melbourne will be 17 hours ahead in September, fans have been left stunned by the news that the Rams reportedly plan to arrive the day before the game.
According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, via Yahoo Sports, head coach Sean McVay and his staff believe the best approach is to land in Australia 24 hours out from their opening clash with the Niners.
San Francisco, meanwhile, are due to arrive a full week earlier so their players and coaches can adjust to the time difference.
LA have been blasted as 'irresponsible' by some users online over their bold strategy, which will leave players with roughly a day to get themselves ready for their Week 1 game after an extremely long flight.
Sean McVay's Rams will arrive in Australia just one day before their NFL season opener
Los Angeles is set to face San Francisco at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first ever NFL game Down Under on September 10
One fan wrote on X: 'the rams are treating this like a business trip while the 49ers are actually respecting the travel logistics'.
'This feels so wrong and irresponsible to say the least - Their sleep schedule is about to be RUINED for a few days,' another fumed.
'That is f***ing idiotic,' claimed a third.
While another user offered up an early prediction for the game: 'Niners a lock then'.
However, other fans have leapt to the Rams' defense after pointing out that the game is taking place at 10:35am local time - which is 5:35pm PST. Most primetime games throughout the season will kickoff just before 5:30pm PST.
As a result, many believe McVay and his team will have an advantage by continuing to operate on their usual time zone.
'I would do what the Rams are doing. Game time is at 5:35pm PST. No need to adjust to that,' one argued.
Another commented: 'The game is prime time in the US; the Rams don’t need to adjust to the time zone, they just need some good blackout curtains in their hotel rooms.'
The 49ers are instead planning to fly to Australia a week before their clash with the Rams
While a third put: 'all these low IQ people in the comments not realizing this is a strategy that works better than having two massive time adjustments in a 1.5 week period'.
The Rams adopted the same strategy for their London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, making NFL history by arriving in the English capital less than 30 hours before their Sunday kickoff at Wembley Stadium.
It was a strategy that paid off for McVay, with his team cruising to a one-sided 35-7 victory on the day.
Nevertheless, London is only a 10-hour flight away from LA and operates just eight hours ahead of California, meaning Australia represents a trickier logistical challenge for the Rams next month.
