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MELBOURNE, Australia — The Los Angeles Rams will play the first-ever regular-season NFL game Down Under this week, but the team has been quietly building its profile in the country for the past five years. "We basically have full activation rights here in many ways that we would ... in Los Angeles," Kevin Demoff, president of the Rams, told CNBC. "We consider this an extension of our city, our market, our brand." In 2021, the Rams purchased NFL marketing rights for the Australian market as part of the league's Global Markets Program. It allows the team to use logos and marks in the region and to partner with local brands in an effort to build fandom overseas. The NFL has been expanding its international reach, playing a record nine games outside the U.S. during the 2026 season. The game in Melbourne between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers is set for the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 10:35 a.m. Melbourne time on Friday, or 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday. Demoff said the Rams own the rights to seven international markets, mostly in the Pacific Rim, and that Australia has felt like a natural fit. "Being a global city in Los Angeles, it's important to tap into those roots," he said. "When you think about Australia, everybody here flies over SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, [California,] as they come to the U.S. to enter to go to any other global destination." As part of the team's presence in Melbourne, the Rams built a 22-yard floating football field on the Yarra River. It will be open to the public via an LA Tailgate experience. Rams players, however, are arriving in Melbourne just one day before the game, while their opponents chartered a plane last week and have already been acclimating to the 17-hour time zone difference. "For us, this is a year-round effort, and I would much rather win the game and grow the market the other 51 weeks a year than focus on having our players here for that week," Demoff said in defense of his team's travel strategy. Because the Rams are among several NFL teams that own league marketing rights in Australia, they act as the home team for this week's game. The Rams have made several trips to Australia over the years, ranging from Super Bowl trophy tours and a flag football event to visits by mascot Rampage and the Rams cheerleaders. Beyond football Kroenke Sports and Entertainment owns both the Rams and the NBA's Denver Nuggets. Last week, the NBA handed Steve Ballmer's Los Angeles Clippers one of the strongest punishments in league history for what it said amounted to "circumventing the salary cap rules," in connection with Kawhi Leonard's contract. Demoff, who has no involvement in the matter but runs team and media operations for all KSE portfolio teams, said the penalty — which the Clippers strongly denounced — puts other NBA teams on notice. "I think this is a great lesson for all of us in making sure we understand what the rules are," he said. "I do think it represents what the gray area is as sports grows." Demoff also commented on KSE's recent deal to buy MLB's Los Angeles Angels, an agreement that would give KSE ownership stakes across every major professional sport in the U.S. While the deal still needs final approval from MLB, Demoff said the real estate surrounding the stadium is a big part of KSE's plan. KSE has created mixed-use districts near many of its stadiums to create additional economic activity. Demoff said that approach could work well with the Angels. "I think you can build the infrastructure up — from the ground up — and really change the team, improve the processes [and] use data technology to make the team better," he added.
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