49ers will lead the NFL in unwanted category during 2026 season

The 49ers and Rams leading the league in travel mileage is no surprise. Both teams will open their 17-game schedules with a Week 1 international matchup in Melbourne, Australia, marking the NFL's first regular-season game played in Australia.

When asked about opening the season overseas, head coach Kyle Shanahan jokingly expressed less-than-enthusiastic feelings about the trip.

"I was so fired up," Shanahan said sarcastically. "That was our goal, to go 19 hours away to play a game."

The coach doesn't see any benefit to having to travel to Australia for a game.

"I don't see any pro," Shanahan added. "I mean, it's cool for the league to play globally. I think it's awesome, but as far as the team doing it, there's not much benefit to it."

Australia won't be the 49ers' only international stop in 2026. San Francisco is also scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City during Week 11, further increasing the team's travel demands.

In addition, the 49ers will make cross-country trips for East Coast road games against the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, adding even more miles to an already demanding schedule.

We'll learn the dates for each of San Francisco's games on Thursday, when the NFL officially unveils its complete 272-game schedule for the 2026 regular season.

Rounding out the top five most-traveled NFL teams in 2026 are the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots.