Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season continues Thursday night with the league’s first-ever matchup to take place in Australia, as the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams face off in an NFC West battle.
The Rams enter this matchup as Super Bowl favorites following the offseason acquisition of star defensive end Myles Garrett to complement the youth of Jared Verse and Byron Young, among others, playing opposite reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua on the offense. Even at full strength, the 49ers would have their hands full in this matchup, but San Francisco enters this matchup with a few question marks remaining regarding the health of several stars.
Star edge rusher Nick Bosa will make his season debut returning from a torn ACL suffered last season with limited camp reps under his belt, while All-Pro tight end George Kittle makes his way back from a ruptured Achilles that ended his 2025 campaign. Oh, then there’s Christian McCaffrey, who’s been in and out of practices through the preseason, limited with tightness … after already losing star wide receiver Ricky Pearsall for the year with a knee injury. Yeesh.
Amidst all of that, the 49ers enter this matchup as 3.5-point “down under” underdogs. Follow along with Yahoo Sports to see how it all plays out.
Where to watch 49ers vs. Rams
49ers-Rams start time: 8:35 pm. ETLocation: Melbourne Cricket Ground | East Melbourne, Australia
TV channel/live stream: Netflix