September 10, 2026 — 6:10am
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The Los Angeles Rams, the second-most valuable team in the NFL, have finally touched down in Melbourne ahead of Friday’s historic clash against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable NFL franchise for a 20th consecutive year, according to the annual list published by Forbes on Wednesday that showed all the league’s teams are worth at least $US8 billion.
The LA Rams have touched down in Melbourne for Friday’s NFL clash at the MCG.NFL
The Cowboys, who have not won a Super Bowl in 30 years but enjoyed success in the 1970s and 1990s, are worth $US17 billion ($23.5 billion), up 31 per cent from 2025.
The Rams came in second at $US13.5 billion ($18.7 billion), with the New York Giants ($US12 billion), New England Patriots ($US10.6 billion) and the 49ers ($US10.5 billion) rounding out the top five.
The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks in the traditional manner and winning over thousands of fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment.
The Rams landed in Melbourne around dawn on Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kick-off that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the US. That’s because Rams head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimise their game readiness by staying home on California time.
Different approach: The Rams have arrived the day before the game, while the San Francisco 49ers arrived last week.NFL
The starkly differing ways in which they made this epic 16,000-kilometre journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
Both teams agree this contrast in preparation is not a referendum on the best way to handle a pair of 16-hour flights with a football game in between — even if the rest of the world might see it that way after the final whistle.
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“I’m sure it will be a good case study for anybody else in the future to sit there and overthink which one helped or not, but the real thing that’s going to [win] this game is who plays better football,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “There’s too many variables that go into this stuff with 53 guys on each team, with 3½ hours of football, for me to overthink or say anything that gives one team a big advantage over the other.”
Instead, this game is primarily a difficult early test for both the Super Bowl favourite Rams and the talent-laden 49ers, who also intend to be a title challenger. The coaching staffs and veteran players all know each other thoroughly after a decade of competition between 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and McVay, who are both constantly looking for an edge.
“I don’t think there’s any right way to do it,” said defensive end Myles Garrett, who will make his Rams debut in Australia.
“They have a plan, and I’m sure they consulted different teams and people to find out a way to combat jet lag and such long travel. We’ve done the same thing. I think we’re both riding our methodologies.”
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Garrett will be joined by star cornerback Trent McDuffie and cornerback Jaylen Watson in their debuts with Los Angeles’ revamped defence.
But Garrett will not be joined at the MCG by Aaron Donald, who ended his 2½-year retirement late last month. The Rams decided the 35-year-old Donald will stay home as he ramps up deliberately for his return — and that’s a beacon of hope for Shanahan, who was sure his old friend McVay would bring Donald to Australia.
Reuters, AP
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