Rams dodge Kyle Shanahan's international revenge plot on 2026 schedule

Kyle Shanahan was not happy that the San Francisco 49ers were picked as the Los Angeles Rams’ opponent in Melbourne for the season opener. What makes him especially mad is that he knows “for a fact” that the Rams requested to play the 49ers in that game, dragging them halfway around the globe.

It’s the first of two international games for the 49ers this season, with the other coming in Mexico City. Knowing the Rams lobbied to play the 49ers in Australia, Shanahan hoped the NFL would grant his request to play the Rams in Mexico.

“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.

That plot of revenge was denied by the league, it seems. The 49ers will host the Vikings in Mexico City in Week 11, meaning the Rams dodged Shanahan’s attempt to give Los Angeles a second international game.

Nice try, Kyle.

The 49ers are one of two teams that will play multiple international games in 2026. The Jaguars are the other, and their two games come in back-to-back weeks in London. The 49ers will go to Australia in Week 1 as the road team and Mexico City in Week 11 as the home team against Minnesota.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL schedule: Rams avoid Kyle Shanahan's revenge plot in 2026