Sarah BarshopMar 25, 2026, 03:02 PM ETCloseSarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Seahawks to open on Wed. due to Australia game (1:09)Seahawks to open on Wed. due to Australia game (1:09)
LOS ANGELES — The NFL announced the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks will open the season on the Wednesday of Week 1 instead of hosting the usual Thursday night opener.
The change is being made because the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will open their season in Melbourne, Australia in a game that will be broadcast on Thursday night in the United States.
The Rams and 49ers will play on Friday morning at 10:35 a.m. local time in Australia, which is 8:35 p.m. ET. The league has not announced a broadcast partner for the game.
The last time the NFL opened a season on a Wednesday night was in 2012 when a game between the Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys was moved to that day to avoid conflict with then-President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night.
The past two seasons, the NFL has played an international game on the Friday after the season opener. In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers played in São Paulo, Brazil. In 2025, the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs opened their season on Friday in São Paulo.
That is not an option this year because of a provision in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 that does not allow broadcasts of professional football games on any Friday or Saturday from the second Friday in September through the second Saturday in December. The last two seasons, the day after the season opener fell on the first Friday of September.
The game in Melbourne will be the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia. The Rams were announced as the host team in February 2024, and the 49ers were announced as their opponent last month. The teams will play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Seahawks to open on Wed. due to Australia game (1:09)Seahawks to open on Wed. due to Australia game (1:09)
Sarah BarshopMar 25, 2026, 03:02 PM ETCloseSarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseSarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.Follow on X
Seahawks to open on Wed. due to Australia game (1:09)
The Seahawks will play on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET. The league has not announced their Week 1 opponent.