(This story was updated with new information)
This much we know, the Green Bay Packers will not play in Australia this season.
The NFL announced Feb. 5 that the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers would play in Melbourne, the first-ever game on that southern continent, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Rams were previously identified as one of the teams to play in that game, the date of which will be announced later.
Additionally, the NFL said the Dallas Cowboys would be one of the teams assigned to the game in Rio de Janeiro.
The NFL scheduled nine international games for the 2026 season and so far identified five teams, including the Jacksonville Jaguars in London and the New Orleans Saints in Paris. Other games will be in London (three games), Madrid, Munich and Mexico City.
The Packers, who last played abroad in 2024, likely will be tabbed for one of the games. The international schedule will require 18 of the NFL’s 32 teams, assuming none have two such games.
The Packers were the final NFL team to play internationally when they met the New York Giants in London in 2022. They played the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2024. They lost both games.
The full NFL schedule – including opponents, dates and kickoff times – will be announced in May, although the league might parodically release updates, like it did on Thursday.
There will be leaks and speculation, as well. A current one is that the Saints will play the Cleveland Browns in Paris, but that’s not been confirmed by the NFL. RMC Sport, a French sports news company, said the Saints will host the Browns. The BrownsWire website said the game will be during Week 7, on Oct. 25, at Stade de France.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @RichRymanPG and on Instagram at @rrymanPG.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: NFL announces teams for Melbourne game, Packers not one of them
Reporting by Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
