Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed the state government has worked closely with the AFL and NFL to make sure the American league’s historic MCG clash complements the AFL’s finals fixtures.

The American sporting behemoth released details about its historic game Down Under, with the Los Angeles Rams taking on San Francisco 49ers at the MCG at 10.35am AEST on Friday September 11.

The match between the two NFC West divisional rivals will be broadcast on Thursday night in the US.

READ MORE: DCE’s complicated Manly legacy and why some will boo him

READ MORE: Worrying decline laid bare as Aussie cricket hits 53-year low

READ MORE: Salary rule to stop Kerr cashing in with monster deal in USA

But the first-ever competition game in Australia could cause an issue for the AFL, with the match scheduled during AFL semi-final week.

Matches during that week are generally scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights and if Victorian teams claim hosting duties for those two finals, they won’t be able to play at the MCG on Friday.

“We’ve been working closely with the AFL. September is always huge in Melbourne because of the AFL finals – to think the NFL game will be bookended by the AFL finals series or hopefully, let’s hope our Melbourne teams get through to the finals,” Allan told Triple M’s Mick in the Morning on Thursday.

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) Getty

“There’s been huge co-operation to make sure the NFL game is slotting in just beautifully into that AFL finals week.”

The NFL was considering playing the Australian game on a Thursday morning (Wednesday night US time) as the NFL season opener, in a bid to aid players in their recovery by arriving back in America earlier. It would have also made things easier for the AFL.

The NFL had played week one games in Brazil the past two seasons on the first Friday night in September.

However, the NFL opted against making Australia’s game the season opener, with the defending champion Seattle Seahawks getting the season under way at Lumen Field on Wednesday September 9 (Thursday, September 10 AEST).