49ers’ Shanahan no longer happy with world schedule (0:49)
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan talks to newshounds about his displeasure over a Week 1 match in Australia. (0:49)
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Nick WagonerMar 30, 2026, 12:31 PM ET
- Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the corporate, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 and 2023 Mountainous Bowl streak, Colin Kaepernick’s screech, the Rams making Michael Sam the important openly happy player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster station and the crew’s relocation and stadium saga.
PHOENIX — Kyle Shanahan is not any longer happy that the
Talking at the annual league meetings Monday morning, Shanahan grow to be requested if he sees any positives in taking a 19- to twenty-hour flight to play the Rams in Week 1 for the NFL’s first neatly-liked-season game Down Under.
“I don’t see any pro,” the Niners coach said. “It’s cool for the league to play globally. I think that’s awesome. But as far as the team doing it, no, there’s not much benefit to it. Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye week after but doesn’t happen in Week 1.”
Certainly, the Niners is not any longer going to dangle a bye after the Australia game, which is decided for Thursday, Sept. 10, at 8:35 p.m. ET. Attributable to the time distinction, that contest will happen Friday, 11th of September, at 10:35 a.m. native Melbourne time, with the 49ers then touring abet to the Bay Dwelling later on. Melbourne Cricket Floor (MCG) is web hosting the sport.
While the 49ers are composed working thru the race logistics of the outing, they’re expected to method in Australia 5 to seven days forward of that game, neatly-liked supervisor John Lynch said Sunday.
“We may be going a little early,” Lynch said. “They may be going later, but we’re trying to look into everything to make it as comfortable [as possible]. It’s kind of like there’s a price to being a high-profile team with a lot of stars. The league wants us on prime time. They want to put us in situations. What I’ve learned, you have to advocate. I certainly do for our guys, but at some point, these are the cards you’re dealt. Let’s make it the best we possibly can.”
The Rams, who’re the home crew for the contest, are furthermore composed finalizing plans but are expected to cruise in well-known closer to game time than the 49ers.
San Francisco vs. Los Angeles in Melbourne is one of nine games on the league’s world schedule in 2026 with the 49ers furthermore slated to host an unnamed opponent in Mexico Metropolis in December.
“I was so fired up,” Shanahan said, with better than a contact of sarcasm. “That was our goal to go 19 hours away to play a game. … We’ll deal with it. And I think there’s [nine] international games. We’ve got two of them, so we’re fired up about that.”
