The NFL’s international takeover reportedly will continue with a visit next year to the land down under.
According to the Herald Sun, the Melbourne Cricket Ground mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>will host three total NFL games, beginning in 2026.
The report pegs the Eagles and the Rams as the first teams to play there. The report says the Rams are the home team; under the NFL’s scheduling formula, however, the Eagles host the Rams that year.
And while the current 17-game rotation has NFC teams hosting nine games in even-numbered years, taking Rams-Eagles out of the country in 2026 would result in the Eagles sacrificing a home game to the international effort for the second time in three years. In 2024, the Eagles hosted the Packers in Brazil.
The timing of the report means that one of the various questions posed to Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday will address the Australia news. (Which is one less question that will be focused on a topic he’d perhaps rather not address during the annual Super Bowl-week media gathering.)
So we’ll see what’s said on Monday. Maybe the Eagles will indeed give up another home game in 2026. Or maybe it will be a different Eagles game. Or a different Rams game.
