The big day is finally here. The first-ever regular season NFL game in Australia. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers face off in an NFC West blockbuster and while the game hasn’t already kicked off, Australia is already a big winner. Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the biggest talking points ahead of the game including how the MCG has been transformed and what it could mean for the AFL moving forward. ‘COMPLETELY RIPPED OUT’: INSIDE MCG’S STUNNING TRANSFORMATION When it was first announced that the NFL was coming to Melbourne, the biggest concern was whether the smaller dimensions of the field would result in an underwhelming experience for the crowd. For context, the MCG’s playing surface has been converted into a field almost 110 metres long and around 49 metres wide to match the NFL’s typical dimensions, with the usual yard lines, hash marks and end zones painted for the respective teams. ESPN anchor Phil Murphy said on ‘AFL 360’ that it will have a “Super Bowl feel” to it. But will it have that same feeling for the fans when you consider the MCG field measures 174 metres by 149 metres from fence to fence? The message from NFL general manager Australia and New Zealand Charlotte Offord is that fans will be “surprised” with how close it all feels. “We obviously have a lot of extra players that come with our game, (plus) cheerleaders, entertainment, equipment,” Offord said. “You’ll be surprised at (how little) space is actually left.” The MCG is set up for it’s first ever NFL match. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images Murphy, meanwhile, said the NFL has done a “terrific job setting it up” from the early sneak peek he got ahead of Friday’s game. In many ways, the AFL is fortunate that there won’t be any finals games in Melbourne on the weekend as the conversion of the field is just one of several changes being made for the historic fixture. Melbourne journalist Sam Edmund detailed the full extent of the MCG’s appearance on SEN Radio earlier in the week, starting with the cosmetic changes to the field. To start with, there is obviously the extensive amount of paint that is needed for both line markings but also the team colours in each end zone. “It goes super deep… they use so much paint that you can’t wash it out, at least not quickly,” Edmund said. As a result, the turf will need to be replaced as soon as possible after the final whistle is blown. “The staff are going to come in, they’re going to rip 6000-8000 square metres of turf up, so essentially the entire NFL playing area, gone. They’ll work all the way through the night, it probably won’t be complete until Tuesday, new turf,” he said. ULTIMATE GUIDE: What you need to know ahead of NFL in Australia It looks very different.. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images Which obviously would have caused problems for the AFL had there been a game at the MCG on Saturday, but Offord said last week that the NFL was prepared for all possibilities and confident in turning the field around within 24 hours had it been required. “We’ve been working really closely with MCC, MCG, AFL to make sure that the transition between our two games is as seamless as possible,” Offord said. “Yes, it will come with an extra layer of logistics that we all have to address in order to make it a seamless experience for both of us. But the MCG [staff] are used to this. “They consistently roll out multiple events day after day, and so this is just one other thing in their scheme of how they do things to make sure that we’re rolled out properly.” There have also been major changes that the punters likely won’t see, with Edmund reporting that all AFL lockers have been “completely ripped out” because they are not big enough for the NFL players. Elsewhere, he said NFL approved furniture has been placed in every function room. “This is what the NFL do. The whole stadium has changed. The whole overlay has changed. All the livery’s changed, all the signage has changed. The food menus have changed. It’s the biggest event that the MCG would have ever hosted,” Edmund added. “So footy fans, when you get in there, you’re not going to recognise the joint. The MCG’s never had a makeover like this before.” Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Kittle and Bosa locked in | 02:11 THE ‘LIKELY’ FIX IN $15M ‘TURF WAR’ Speaking of the AFL, while the league may have been lucky to dodge any scheduling clashes or logistical challenges this time around it is no guarantee for the future. After all, the NFL is here to stay. The league has a four-year contract with Victoria to host at least two games in Melbourne, with an option for a third. According to veteran AFL journalist Jon Ralph, it means there could be a “turf war” between the two leagues as early as next year. That is because the expectation is that the AFL would normally host at least two of the qualifying and elimination finals at the MCG. If the NFL game was on Friday, for example, that would force the AFL elsewhere and leave the league up against the clock to have the stadium ready for a Saturday game. The AFL, of course, in an ideal world does not want to have a final on Sunday. That would obviously change if all four finals games were hosted by Victorian teams. But otherwise, the AFL would only need one or two of the eight non-Victorian sides to be hosting a final to make the process a lot less complicated. It sounds like the NFL is willing to work with the AFL by moving next year’s MCG game, should it take place, to Thursday. The turf will have to be replaced. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images “I spoke to San Francisco 49ers CEO Al Guido today. He says this is a game that we should have for decades in Victoria. It’s been that popular,” Ralph said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, with estimations that Victoria forked out around $10 to 15 million per game. Ralph reported that the “most likely scenario” is that the NFL would play next year’s game on the Thursday instead of Friday, which would be a big deal given it would make the Australia fixture the season-opener. For context, this season kicked off with the highly-anticipated Super Bowl rematch between New England and Seattle. All eyes are on the first game of the season. Football-starved fans flock to their televisions. It would be a huge coup for Melbourne, and make the most sense for the NFL given multiple players this week have said the game should not be moved away from Week 1. They can take solace in knowing NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly feels the same way, confirming to reporters last week that the game will not be shifted to later in the schedule. “A week one game is important given the travel there and the travel back,” O’Reilly said. “So, yes is the answer.” MORE NFL NEWS THE RAMS: Australia’s NFL team is the Super Bowl favourite. But they’re ignoring the elephant in the room EVERY NFL TEAM RANKED: All 32 clubs placed in tiers ahead of 2026-27 season Aussie rugby coach trains NFL star | 00:48 STUNNING PROOF OF AUSSIE NFL TAKEOVER Friday’s game hasn’t even kicked off, and yet already it seems like the NFL’s historic foray down under has been a raging success. You only had to look at the massive queue to get into a pop-up NFL shop in Melbourne’s CBD for proof of it. It wasn’t just there either. There was a long wait for fans wanting to get into the 49ers pop-up event at Transport Public Bar in Federation Square, and the same went for the Rams tailgate event. Fans then later flocked to the NFL Kickoff Festival, which has been described as an immersive American-style football takeover that opened up on Thursday and continues all the way until Saturday at Melbourne Park. Tickets for day one started at $49 with performances from Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders and Rams Mariachi, along with Kita Alexander and Peking Duk while there was a live Q&A including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Rams and 49ers Legends Jerry Rice and Tory Holt before Australian sporting stars took part in a cross-code skills challenge. Meanwhile, tickets at the cavernous MCG were snapped up within minutes, echoing the interest the NFL has enjoyed when staging games in other overseas markets. This year the league will play in seven countries across four continents in an unprecedented global schedule. Australia is the latest added to the slate, the league saying the country has 6.6 million NFL fans. Australia is seen as a significant overseas market for the NFL. Since 2024 the Gold Coast has been home to an NFL academy with a growing number of Australians making their mark, led by the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jordan Mailata, Michael Dickson (Seattle Seahawks) and Cameron Johnston (Pittsburgh Steelers). NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said this week’s game was part of their long-term strategy for Australia, despite the logistical challenges and 17-hour time difference to the US West Coast. “Our view is that we’re coming here for the long-term. We don’t come as a one-off, this isn’t a circus,” he said. “This is something that’s an investment in this market and we believe that this is long-term and will be great for the NFL long-term. “Every ticket that we put out for public sale was gone in a matter of minutes,” he added. “I think that’s a demonstration of the demand for this event.” Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. 49ers fans are seen outside the MCG. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images RAMS GAMBLE ON BOLD TRAVEL STRATEGY The Rams are attempting to pull off their most ambitious play of the season well before coach Sean McVay ever calls one. The strategy seems simple: Fly nearly 16 hours to Australia, cross the international dateline, land in Melbourne on Thursday, check into the hotel, go to sleep, wake up and play an NFL game. Meanwhile, their opponent, the 49ers, have already been on the ground in Melbourne for days, acclimating to the time change. The Rams are deliberately doing the opposite. Only one of these strategies will prevail. McVay and the Rams chose to remain in Los Angeles as long as possible before departing for their season opener against their longtime NFC West rivals. The Rams’ theory is an assault on jet lag: Don’t give the body enough time to realise where it is. “We’ll sleep through the night, and then we’ll get there and have kind of a rhythm,” McVay said. There is at least one significant perk. This won’t be 53 football players attempting to sleep upright in economy. “They’ve got full lay-flat beds,” McVay said. “All of our players have that.” MORE NFL NEWS NEW STAR DOWN UNDER: How US journo became an Aussie ‘novelty’… and AFL gun’s act that left him ‘starstruck’ ‘IF YOU ASK ONE F***ING QUESTION ABOUT HAYNE…’: How wild NFL ride Rams & 49ers different travel plans | 02:15 The massive charter will allow everyone to fully stretch out and sleep, an important component of a travel strategy developed with the Rams’ sports medicine and performance staff. McVay said the organisation also consulted people from other sports and others experienced with similar long-distance travel. The Rams even tested elements of the plan beforehand. “It’s about keeping guys in their normal rhythm and routine,” McVay said. “Everything that we do, I would hope our guys know that everything we do is what we think is best.” The Rams have a precedent that this strategy can work, albeit on a much smaller scale. Last season, the Rams remained in Baltimore following a game against the Ravens before flying to London the night before kickoff in a game against the Jaguars. The result was a rout by the Rams, who led 28-0 in the fourth quarter before flying back to LA with a 35-7 victory. “Obviously, we have experience with it, even though we went a different direction last year in London,” said quarterback Matthew Stafford about the team’s travel plans. “I felt like it worked out for us. I think guys enjoy being home. I feel confident in the way we’re going about it, and we’ll be ready to rock and roll come Friday morning.” Stafford is right about it working last season, but Australia is a different beast compared with London. The flight is considerably longer, and the time difference is much more severe. McVay knows he’ll be judged on the outcome. Win and the Rams cracked the international travel code. Lose sluggishly and everyone will wonder why the 49ers were acclimating in Australia all week while the Rams were back home practicing like it was a home game at SoFi Stadium. — New York Post Kittle wants to pay tribute to Arrow | 00:33 RAMS WERE LATE DOWN UNDER… BUT 49ERS HAVE BIGGEST WORRIES San Francisco got a head start on the Los Angeles Rams in getting to Australia. But make no mistake, the 49ers are still the more fragile unit as the teams prepare to fight it out in Friday’s season opener. Kyle Shanahan’s club has already suffered a slew of injuries this preseason — including its most recent blow on Aussie soil — with a host of stars under various health clouds just days out from its historic season opener. Veteran receiver Mike Evans is nursing an adductor issue, while star pass-rusher Nick Bosa (knee), running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) and tight end George Kittle (Achilles) were all listed on the Niners’ injury report as of September 7. But more concerningly, they already have 11 players designated to injured reserve — missing at least the first four games of the season — headlined by receivers Ricky Pearsall, who’s set to miss the entire season, and Christian Kirk. It leaves the front seven weakened, but it’s the pass-catching contingent that looks most vulnerable on the eve of the season. It comes after a year where no 49ers receivers were on the field for 50 per cent of the dropbacks, aside from Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne — neither of whom are with San Francisco this year. Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images Beyond Pearsall and Kirk’s issues, Evans and Kittle might be week-to-week propositions this season with their bodies. Evans is 33 this year and has already encountered quad and adductor issues, after his final campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that saw his productivity dip considerably. For Kittle, who only played 46.2 per cent of passing plays in 2026, it was recurring hamstring problems before a torn Achilles in January. All things considered, it’s remarkable that he’s set to play in Week 1, given the injury’s typical recovery time of at least nine months. But it’s hard to be entirely confident in his body, and he almost certainly won’t bear a full load of snaps against the Rams. It puts an arguably unhealthy expectation on first-year receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who the 49ers swooped on in the second round of this year’s draft. The Ole Miss talent is highly-touted, but to have to rely heavily on his rookie-year production almost certainly wasn’t Shanahan’s plan. And then there’s the McCaffrey discussion. After an injury-plagued 2024 season, the 30-year-old led the NFL with 413 touches, producing 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns to earn Comeback Player of the Year honours. McCaffrey handled 76.6 per cent of backfield touches last year for the Niners, and this season, it’s rookie Kaelon Black backing him up. ‘Mr Irrelevant ready for MCG stage | 02:19 It once again raises questions about the three-time First Team All-Pro’s durability, despite him playing 17 games last season. Shanahan has previously spoken about alleviating McCaffrey’s workload, but until we truly see it, it’s hard to believe he won’t be force-fed touches. Especially with third-round rookie back Kaelon Black behind him on the depth chart. On the other side of the ball, the 11th pick in last year’s draft, defensive end Mykel Williams, remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL last season. Edge-rusher is another particular position of weakness at the moment for the Niners, who boast little outside of five-time Pro Bowler Bosa, who comes into the season recovering from an ACL injury last year. Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu is among those 11 injured-reserve names, which doesn’t include the latest casualty, defensive tackle Alfred Collins. Collins tore his patellar tendon during practice at AAMI Park earlier in the week and will miss the entire season. Even on foreign soil, the Niners can’t escape the injury bug, and it leaves the roster frail going into the season. Post navigation Michelle Keegan teases new Harlan Coben crime thriller, sharing updates Irish Open: Rory McIlroy four behind leader Joaquin Niemann at Irish Open