Australian airline Qantas has been announced as the official airline partner of American football’s NFL across Australia and New Zealand as the league prepares to stage its first regular season match in Melbourne this year.
The deal centres around the NFL’s match between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MSG) on September 11, with Qantas to operate charter flights for both teams, alongside its existing network of 40 weekly services between Australia and the US for fans to utilize.
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Danielle Keighery, Qantas Group chief brand and corporate affairs officer, said: “More Americans are choosing to visit Australia than ever, and these games are going to inspire a whole new wave of US fans to make the trip.
“With more than 8.8 million NFL fans across Australia and New Zealand, Qantas will also be helping to connect fans across its extensive domestic and Trans-Tasman network to the MCG for this historic game.”
Ticket sales for the game have opened via the ticketing partner Ticketmaster, with prices starting at AUD$95 ($67) for standing access and AUD$140 for general seating.
Charlotte Offord, NFL Australia and NZ general manager, added: “Australia is a significant growth market for the league.
“The partnership will provide greater connection for our international fans who are looking to make the trip down under.”
Coverage of the game will be provided in Australia by multi-platform broadcaster Sports Entertainment Network (SEN), which airs at least one live NFL game per regular-season round. The package, which was renewed last year, includes rights to the Melbourne game.
NFL games are also carried by the Australian commercial broadcaster Seven Network, which renewed its rights deal last August to air two Sunday afternoon games per week (broadcast on Monday in Australia), as well as the weekly Thursday Night Football slate of games (broadcast on Friday in Australia), every play-off game, and the season-ending Super Bowl.
Australia will be the eighth different international territory the NFL has played in, with the league having visited the UK (London), Mexico City, Germany (Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt), Brazil (Sao Paulo), Ireland (Dublin), Toronto (Canada), and Spain (Madrid).
The Rams hold international marketing rights in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the NFL’s Global Markets Program.
The 49ers, meanwhile, have a smaller pool of international marketing rights with Mexico, the UK, and the UAE.
When Australia was first announced as a host for an NFL fixture, the Philadelphia Eagles were cited as the most likely opponent for the Rams to play, given the Eagles' international marketing rights in Australia.
However, given that the Rams will be the designated home team, the Eagles would have been forced to sacrifice a home game to participate, a move they made in 2024 to play in Brazil.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie then went on record stating he did not want to give up another home game so soon after the team’s last, leading to the NFL booking the 49ers.
Launched in 2022, the Global Markets Program has provided the league with a way to build its international audience through fan engagement, events, and commercial opportunities. A total of 62 regular-season NFL games have been played internationally to date
For the 2026 campaign, a record nine international games will be played, including two games in London, Madrid (Spain), Melbourne (Australia), Mexico City, Munich (Germany), Paris (France), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been public with his ambition to bring the NFL to as many different territories as possible and has found success in partnership with local sports leagues in these territories, a strategy the league may continue in Australia, thanks to the popularity of rugby in the market.
The NFL has played in Australia once before, a 1999 exhibition game titled the American Bowl in Sydney between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers.
