The anchor of one of the most popular sports programs in the US has declared Melbourne’s historic first NFL game will pave the way for more Australian matches by creating “a spectacle” its homeland can’t match.

NFL Red Zone host Scott Hanson last week visited the MCG for the first time, watching Collingwood draw with Hawthorn before 76,000 fans.

With 100,000 spectators to pack the venue for September’s LA Rams-San Francisco 49ers blockbuster, the Melbourne match will seat almost 20,000 more spectators than any NFL stadium in the US.

“It’s going to be one the best atmospheres, it’ll probably be the biggest (TV) audience, the biggest stadium capacity of the season in the NFL, in the states or anywhere else,’’ he said. “We have college stadiums that rival the ‘G but the biggest stadium in the United States for the NFL is a little more than 80,000.

“So to have 100,000 people, I can’t even imagine how it will look and sound in person and on television it will be one of the best spectacles of the year in the NFL.’’

Hanson told the Herald Sun he was convinced NFL matches in Melbourne this year and next would be a precursor to more games down under.

“I can say this, the NFL absolutely wants it to grow into something at least frequent, if not permanent,’’ he said.

“(NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell himself said, ‘this is not a one-off – this is something we want to invest in this market’.’’

But Hanson said future Aussie NFL matches were likely to be played outside Melbourne.

“I absolutely think that, assuming this game comes off the way we all expect that it will, that the NFL will have scouting executives back here in Australia to say, ‘hey, can we do one in Sydney? ‘Could Brisbane host a game?’ ‘Could anywhere else in the country?’

“We’ve seen this happen in Germany.

“We’ve seen it happen in the UK where they have their first NFL game in one city and then it was such a success, they want to get it to a different part of the country.

“I could absolutely see that happening here in Australia.

“However, the ‘G is tough to top when it comes to an atmosphere and the size of a facility that can host such a spectacle that we expect in September.’’

Fans rushed to buy tickets to the first regular season NFL match on Australian soil, with general access seats to Melbourne’s September 11 blockbuster selling out within hours of going on sale last month.

Goodell said fans from the US would be well represented in the stands.

“Obviously thousands of them will come over here to experience the atmosphere themselves,’’ he said.

“But those who are staying back home … it will be one of the most watched regular season games of the year, guaranteed.

“I mean, it’s the second game of the season and it’s between two Super Bowl contending teams that are division opponents and some of the biggest stars in the game are coming here to Melbourne.’’

With NSW, Queensland, WA and even SA making inroads on Victoria’s obvious status as Australia’s sporting capital, Hanson said September’s match would put Melbourne on the map to a US TV audience of about 20m.

“I’ll let you Australians fight over who gets the next game but let’s get through the first one,’’ he said.

“Let’s put on a show and then we get what they call a high-class problem if both Sydney and Melbourne want to host the next game.’’