The San Francisco 49ers are going to be racking up the frequent flier miles this fall. In February, it was announced that they would be the visiting team for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, and now they’ve also been tabbed as the host team for the NFL’s return to Mexico City.
For those tracking at home, the two international games, plus cross-continent matchups against the Giants and Falcons, will mean the Niners will travel almost 40,000 miles in one season.
The Mexico City game will be played at the renovated Estadio Banorte (formerly Estadio Azteca), with the date and opponent to be released in May. The 49ers will give up a home game, which means they will play eight regular-season home games instead of nine this fall.
Who could the 49ers play in Mexico City?
The 49ers’ opponents for this year include the following (and we’ve added when and where those teams last played internationally):
Arizona Cardinals (Mexico City 2022)
Denver Broncos (London 2025)
Las Vegas Raiders (London 2019)
Los Angeles Rams (London 2025, Melbourne 2026)
Miami Dolphins (Madrid 2025)
Minnesota Vikings (London 2025)
Philadelphia Eagles (Sao Paulo 2024)
Seattle Seahawks (London 2018)
Washington Commanders (Madrid 2025, London 2026)
The Rams are already hosting the 49ers in Melbourne, so we can scratch them from consideration, since the NFL would not feature the same two teams in an international game in the same year.
We’d think that the Commanders could also be dropped from contention, since they’ll be hosting a game in London this year. But the 49ers are playing in both Australia and Mexico in the same season, so we suppose everything is on the table. But given the distance (and the closer proximity of other possible opponents), we’re willing to bet it won’t be the Commanders.
The Raiders would look like a great candidate, being a West Coast team and having not played internationally since 2019. But the 49ers would be very hesitant to give up a home date against their former Bay Area rivals – a game that would be sure to pack Levi’s Stadium.
The same would go for Seattle, coming off its Super Bowl victory. It’s another game that the 49ers wouldn’t want to give up.
If we had to guess, we think it will be either the Cardinals or Broncos. The Cardinals would be the most likely if not for the fact that they were the 49ers’ opponent in Mexico City in 2022. So we’ll guess it will be the Broncos. But we’ll all find out when the schedule is released in May.
Next Steps
With no dates announced, it’s too early to book any travel reservations. But you should sign up here for ticket updates from the NFL. And if you’re a Niners fan (or a fan of any of the possible opponents), it’s a good time to start thinking if that vacation to Mexico City should be on the board this fall.
