By the time San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan publicly discussed playing the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, 53 days had passed since the NFL announced the matchup. Shanahan said he saw no "pro" for a 16-hour flight and claimed the Rams pushed to play San Francisco to prevent 49ers fans from taking over SoFi Stadium. That theory gained steam, but it was not the reason the teams meet at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday. "We did not select the Niners at all," said Kevin Demoff, the Rams' team president.

The Melbourne opener is the culmination of the NFL's four-year journey to deliver a marquee matchup. The Rams looked into playing in China in 2016 and volunteered to host the Australia game in 2024, becoming the home team. The league then chose the Niners, Australia's most popular team, to create a blockbuster debut.

"We knew that we had an amazing opportunity in Week 1 on Friday morning in Australia to create what feels like a major event," said Matt Shapiro, the NFL's senior vice president of global events and market strategy.