MELBOURNE, Australia — The Los Angeles Rams will play the first-ever regular-season NFL game Down Under this week, but the team has been quietly building its profile in the country for the past five years.
"We basically have full activation rights here in many ways that we would ... in Los Angeles," Kevin Demoff, president of the Rams, told CNBC. "We consider this an extension of our city, our market, our brand."
In 2021, the LA Rams purchased NFL marketing rights for the Australian market as part of the league's Global Markets Program. It allows the team to use logos and marks in the region and to partner with local brands in an effort to build fandom overseas.
The NFL has been expanding its international reach, playing a record nine games outside the U.S. during the 2026 season. The game in Melbourne between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers is set for the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 10:35 a.m. Melbourne time on Friday, or 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Demoff said the Rams own the rights to seven international markets, mostly in the Pacific Rim, and that Australia has felt like a natural fit.