The San Francisco 49ers will be one of the teams playing in the 2026 NFL Mexico City game next season, the NFL announced Wednesday.
It will be the third time the franchise has played in the famed Estadio Azteca, renamed Estadio Banorte. The 49ers played in the NFL’s first international regular-season game in Mexico City in 2005 and returned in 2022. San Francisco faced the Arizona Cardinals in both games, with each team winning one. More than 103,000 fans attended the first matchup in 2005.
New stop on our world tour 🇲🇽
📰: https://t.co/sKCbIyMD26 pic.twitter.com/bzTFi1B7ds
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) February 18, 2026
“We are thrilled to return to Mexico and to play in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in the league,” 49ers CEO Al Guido said in an NFL press release. “After two unforgettable experiences in 2005 and 2022 in Mexico City, we’re excited to reunite with the Mexico Faithful and look forward to the energy local fans will bring in creating a true home-field advantage for our team abroad.”
The 49ers’ opponent will be announced, along with the Mexico game’s date and kickoff time, when the NFL releases its full 2026 schedule in the spring.
“We’re delighted to host the San Francisco 49ers once again in Mexico City for the 2026 NFL Mexico Game,” said NFL Mexico director general Arturo Olivé in a statement. “Returning to Estadio Banorte highlights our strong, ongoing commitment to Mexico. Few places generate the kind of energy we see here, and we look forward to being back in a country that plays such a meaningful role in the growth of our game.”
The NFL will stage a record nine international games in 2026, spread across seven countries and four continents. The league has also committed to playing games in Mexico City for the next three seasons.
The 49ers already have two international games on their 2026 schedule. Earlier this month, the league announced that San Francisco will kick off the season in Melbourne, Australia, against the Los Angeles Rams. The Week 1 contest at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be the NFL’s first time playing in the country.
Mexico has hosted five previous NFL games, in 2005, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. A California team has played in each of those games: the 49ers twice, the Raiders twice, when the Las Vegas franchise was based in Oakland and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. Mexico’s 40 million NFL fans make it the largest fan base outside of the United States, according to the league. The NFL has also had an office in Mexico City since 1998.
The 49ers are one of 10 franchises that hold marketing rights in Mexico as part of the league’s Global Markets Program, which aims to build international brand awareness for teams.