The Victorian government has paid in excess of $10m to host the NFL’s first regular‑season game in Australia, a move that delivers a near sell‑out crowd at the MCG and prime exposure via a Netflix broadcast into the United States.

Related Posts
01P. Tietz scores twice in Mainz's 5-0 win over Hamburger SV02Jay Clarke defeats C. Esquiva Banuls in straight sets, 6-4, 7-603Chelsea Sells 39 Players and Reports About £120m Transfer Profit04Williams Sisters Lose Doubles Return at Cincinnati Open 6-2 1-6 10-805Manchester City Sign Enzo Fernandez For Joint-British Record £125m

The Story in Pictures

02 photographs

A closer look, frame by frame.

San Francisco and Los Angeles meet on Friday at 10.30am at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a fixture that the league expects to attract the largest US television audience for an event staged in Australia since the 2000 Olympics. Only VIP packages and a handful of resale seats, advertised at about $600, remain unsold, while an 18,000‑capacity NFL fan festival at Melbourne Park charges $49 per adult.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed sightseeing, telling reporters, "I haven't left the hotel, except to come to this practice, for five days or however long we've been here," and blaming jet lag for early mornings. Players and staff who ventured out noticed differences in stadium shape and crowd proximity: offensive tackle Trent Williams said, "It almost felt like AI," describing the size and separation of the crowd from the action.

The visit is built around more than the game itself. Sponsors are prominent at official events and fan zones, and the league staged a "legends and leaders" lunch at Crown casino sponsored by Tabcorp, whose chief executive is the former AFL head Gillon McLachlan. A table of 10 at the lunch cost $3,750; NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and commissioner Roger Goodell attended as guests. Goodell told the audience the league counts about 9 million fans in Australia, including 2 million who have become followers in recent years, and argued the match could accelerate growth in Australia and into Asia.

The NFL’s international series, which began in the UK in 2007, now spans Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, France and Spain. The Rams’ owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, who also control Arsenal, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the LA Angels, underline the cross‑sport commercial stakes; the company recently closed a deal described in reporting as worth around US$4bn ($5.5m). The AFL has worked around the NFL visit, with recent results between Hawthorn, Fremantle, the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide leaving the MCG time to prepare for upcoming finals.

Friday’s match will reveal whether the spectacle translates into sustained growth for the league in Australia, wider broadcast audiences and momentum for the NFL’s ambitions around flag football ahead of Brisbane 2032.