Puck sports correspondent John Ourand reported that the 49ers and Rams will play either Wednesday, September 9 or Thursday, September 10 (h/t Pro Football Talk). The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will play on the day San Francisco doesn’t play.
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It would make sense if the NFL stuck to its typical regular-season opener, where the Super Bowl champion opens its season and all NFL programming at home. However, a trip to Australia for the 49ers and Rams ruins those plans and may force the NFL to deviate from its usual schedule.
The time change from Pacific Time to Melbourne is more than 19 hours, meaning teams will experience two dramatic time changes in quick succession with their flight to Australia and their flight back. The NFL may want to give the 49ers and Rams that extra day to reacclimate their biological clocks before beginning their Week 2 preparations.
This year the NFL schedule is expected to be officially released in mid-May.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: The 49ers vs. Rams in Australia could be the first game of the 2026 NFL season