Shanahan Predicts 49ers Fans Will Fill 100,000-Seat MCG as Rams Export Home Game to Australia

Q: Will the Rams' drastic move across the globe actually save them from a massive 49ers fan takeover?

Probably not. Moving the game to Melbourne may reduce the Rams’ usual SoFi embarrassment, but the available signs suggest it will not stop a strong 49ers presence. Kyle Shanahan now says that after getting to Australia, he expects the atmosphere to feel much the same, with 49ers fans still making up a large share of the crowd at the 100,000-seat MCG. That view is backed by the scale of San Francisco’s fan planning: the team has organized a full “Faithful” week in Melbourne, including rallies, watch parties and fan events designed to “paint Melbourne red.” The 49ers have also long claimed one of the NFL’s biggest international followings, and team officials say they have the league’s largest fan base in Australia. The venue change does alter the math somewhat. Unlike SoFi Stadium, this is a neutral international setting, and a larger crowd could dilute the visual effect of a takeover. Tickets were still available close to game week, suggesting the final mix may depend on local Australian buyers as much as traveling U.S. fans. The NFL also wants this to be a showcase event, which should draw plenty of neutral spectators. But the Rams are unlikely to gain a true home-field edge. This rivalry game has major NFC West tiebreaker importance, and that tends to motivate 49ers fans to travel. If anything, the Rams may have traded a red-dominated Los Angeles crowd for a red-heavy international one rather than escaping it.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Sep 7

Thursday’s NFL game at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground may still feel like a 49ers home date, with Kyle Shanahan saying San Francisco fans will likely take over the crowd.
Shanahan said the league “let the Rams off the hook” by allowing Los Angeles to choose its annual 49ers matchup for the NFL’s first game in Australia, rather than face another SoFi Stadium invasion.
That expectation undercuts the Rams’ hoped-for home-field edge in a consequential NFC West meeting, where the result could matter in division tiebreakers.
The episode also revives debate over sending a high-stakes rivalry game overseas when the move may not solve the fan-balance problem it was meant to avoid.