Rusty Weiss
Shanahan Not Thrilled About Australia Opener
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made it crystal clear on Monday that he is not exactly flipping cartwheels over the NFL‘s decision to kick off the 2026 season in Australia.
Speaking at the league owners’ meetings in Phoenix, Shanahan was asked about the historic matchup against division rival Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on September 10th.
“I don’t see any pro,” he told reporters.
Now, to be clear, he’s coming at this from a coach’s standpoint. And football players and coaches alike have often voiced approval for the uniqueness of international games and the opportunity they give them to experience new things, while being very candid that it’s not great in terms of quality of play. Or for the team moving forward.
Shanahan echoed those broader sentiments. He acknowledged that the game is “cool for the league to play globally” and “awesome” for international fans to get a taste of NFL action. Yet, he still sees zero upside for his own team.
“But as far as the team doing it, no, there’s not much benefit to it,” he added. “Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye week after, but doesn’t happen in Week 1.”
Takeaways from Kyle Shanahan’s presser today:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) March 30, 2026
• Kyle feels good about where the roster is. Says it’s definitely been a better offseason compared to last year
• He isn’t a fan of the 49ers playing in Australia
• They are in no rush to release Brandon Aiyuk. Holding out hope… pic.twitter.com/Eg659RocVN
Yeah, they’re not doling out bye weeks after week one. MLB usually gives its opening day game participants a short break after they play the first game of the season. But catching up on a day off in a 162-game schedule is vastly different from what the NFL would have to do if it gave out week 2 byes.
The 49ers will face a grueling 14-hour flight and significant time-zone juggling for the early-morning local kickoff at 10:35 a.m. in Melbourne.
Not to mention, Americans tend to forget such early games. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard friends say, ‘There was a game today?’ after a regular-season game in the UK.
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Shanahan’s sarcasm promptly shot off the charts during the discussion of travel logistics for the game.
“Oh, so fired up. So, we’re going back in time or into the future? I think we gain a day or lose a day? Not sure which one yet, but it is what it is,” he joked, before very seriously noting, “We’ll deal with it.”
Deal with it, they must, if they wish to keep some momentum going from last season.
The 49ers posted a solid 12-5 record last season and finished third in the stacked NFC West. After missing the playoffs the prior year, they returned to the postseason and secured a Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
But their run ended with a lopsided Divisional Round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Heading into 2026, expectations remain high for Shanahan’s squad as they look to build on last year’s resilience, stay healthier, and leverage key additions like veteran wide receiver Mike Evans alongside core stars such as Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and Nick Bosa.
Will they kick the year off right with a win in Australia?
