The NFL has officially announced that the San Francisco 49ers will host a regular-season game in Mexico City during the 2026 NFL season, with the matchup expected to take place in Week 13 or 14 at Estadio Banorte.
That won't be the only international trip on the 49ers' schedule. San Francisco is also slated to play in Melbourne, Australia, in what is expected to be a Week 1 matchup. For a franchise that routinely ranks near the top of the league in total travel miles, 2026 is shaping up to be historic — and grueling.
The 49ers are projected to travel more than 38,100 miles during the 2026 season. That would not only lead the NFL next year but also set a new league record, surpassing the roughly 37,000 miles logged by the 2025 Los Angeles Chargers and the 2016 Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams, who will serve as the home team against the 49ers in Australia, are projected to travel about 35,000 miles in 2026.
However, John Breech of CBS Sports reports that the NFL could slightly reduce San Francisco's mileage depending on how the schedule is finalized.
"On top of playing two international games, the 49ers also have two cross-country trips with games at Atlanta and at New York against the Giants," Breech wrote. "If the NFL combined those two games into one road trip, that would shave almost 4,000 miles off San Francisco's travel schedule, and in that case, they wouldn't break the all-time travel record."
Even with potential adjustments, the 49ers are unlikely to avoid an extensive travel burden in 2026, and not everyone in the locker room is thrilled about it.
"That's not fair," fullback Kyle Juszczyk said earlier this month when it first surfaced that the 49ers could play two international games. "Then the NFL, I feel, is doing us a disservice. Because if we're going to talk about health and safety, to do two international games like that is almost like playing three games in 13 days."
With multiple cross-country trips, the 49ers' 2026 schedule could test the limits of travel demands in the modern NFL as the league aggressively expands its international presence.