Kyle Shanahan does not want to go to Australia. He says there’s “not much benefit” to the San Francisco 49ers flying across the globe for the season-opener in Melbourne.
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“I don’t see any pro,” he said at the owners meetings this week.
To make matters worse, they’re facing the Los Angeles Rams, who are the designated home team. Clearly bothered by the 49ers’ international schedule, Shanahan made a bold claim on PFT Live Tuesday when he said he knows “for a fact” that the Rams lobbied to face the 49ers in Melbourne.
“I know for a fact they did. That’s what’s so bothersome,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers are the home team for another international game in Mexico City, and Shanahan is hoping to get some retribution. He wants the NFL to schedule the Rams as the 49ers’ opponent for that game in Mexico, saying it’s only fair “to make them go out of the country twice, too.”
“Hopefully, the league will do right and let us play the Rams in Mexico, since we’ve got to go out of the country twice, and they requested us. I’m requesting them in Mexico,” Shanahan said.
Spicy! #49ers HC Kyle Shanahan says he knows for a fact the #Rams lobbied to play them in Australia because 49ers fans take over SoFi Stadium.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 31, 2026
Shanahan wants the NFL, in return, to send the Rams to Mexico later in the year when the 49ers have a game there.
“I’m requesting them… pic.twitter.com/RCxPQYWdAl
The 49ers are known to take over SoFi Stadium when they play the Rams, and Shanahan believes that’s part of the reason Los Angeles requested to play the Niners elsewhere. He understands their reasoning, but still hopes to get back at the Rams by forcing them to play another international game later in the season.
He knows how frustrating it would be to use the silent count at home and feel like it’s a road game, admitting it “would suck.”
"And I get that," Shanahan said. "That would suck to have to do silent cadence and have our home game at their stadium, so I get their ambitions, but they were rewarded that. So I'm just hoping we can get our request still. I'd love for them to come to Mexico. Our Mexican fanbase is awesome.”
Nothing like a good old division rivalry, right? Especially one between two teams whose head coaches are good friends.
The Rams plan to make their trip to Australia a short one, with Sean McVay saying he fully expects the 49ers to touch down before them. But with a 17-hour time difference, both teams will need several days to acclimate their bodies.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Kyle Shanahan throws shade at Rams for dragging 49ers to Australia