If the Los Angeles Rams thought choosing the San Francisco 49ers for their Week 1 unprecedented game in Australia would negate the Niners' fanbase from taking over a "home venue," L.A. thought wrong.
Badly.
The first-ever NFL game in Australia, hosted at the expansive Melbourne Cricket Grounds, is proving Los Angeles' theory wrong in the most public of ways. The bulk of fans in attendance are donning red, not blue—San Francisco was already listed as Australia's most popular team prior to the event.
With the Week 1 showdown already underway, the game is already looking like a "home" affair for the 49ers, technically the road team in this one.
According to Niner Noise's Jeremy Wohlfart, a resident Aussie in attendance, the crowd seemed to be roughly 70-to-30 in favor of the red and gold. For a stadium that fits 100,000 people, that's something.
Perhaps the Rams were expecting this from the get-go, but as the crowd at MCG continues to cheer on the Niners in abundant numbers over L.A., perhaps head coach Sean McVay's squad should've taken other things into account when prepping for the high-profile matchup.
49ers won over the Australian neutral crowd long before Rams arrived
Much has already been debated about San Francisco's decision to head out to Australia a week before the Thursday, Sept. 10 (U.S. time) showdown, whereas Los Angeles effectively headed out a day before.
Granted, McVay and the Rams are likely far more concerned about winning the game rather than winning over a fanbase, but the end result of the 49ers being there far in advance has largely resulted in the undecided Australian NFL fan picking loyalties.
Hint: It's the Niners.
Check out this pregame interview by SF Standard's David Lombardi, speaking with Australian fans who admitted how so many of Melbourne's neutral fans have now gravitated to the Niners, thanks to not only their early arrival but also their involvement in pregame events:
Great insight from Australian 49ers fans Anthony and Tom. They say that the 49ers' early arrival has won over the 50-50 fans of this sports-crazed city. Then, this — also notable:
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 9, 2026
"Overseas teams have come over [in other sports]. But no one has really done what the 49ers have… pic.twitter.com/MbAso7o4xs
Related story: Australian fans are already making Rams eat crow for hosting 49ers
Even though L.A. has marketing rights to Australia, the 49ers' popularity in the country can't be overstated, and getting out there early to win over the fans certainly helped matters, too.
Those efforts are showing up in the biggest of ways at MCG, making yet another Rams home game feel much more like a road affair.
Or another Niners fan takeover.
Of course, it's fair to wonder how much of an advantage this will provide San Francisco over the course of four quarters. Los Angeles is seen as the powerhouse favorite to win the Super Bowl this season, and traveling fanbases don't always influence that.
Still, if the 49ers quickly proved they won over the home crowd just after kickoff, they'll happily take it.
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