The San Francisco 49ers are going international in 2026.
On Feb. 18, the NFL announced that the 49ers will host the upcoming Mexico City game, marking the league’s return to the city for a sixth time. The official date, time and matchup will be announced when the schedule is released in the spring. It will mark the league’s first regular season game in Mexico’s capital city since 2022 and the start of a multi-year commitment through 2028 to play in the country.
It also marks a return to Mexico City for the 49ers, who played the first regular season game in the nation’s capital back in 2005 and the most recent game in 2022.
The 49ers are one of 10 teams with marketing rights to Mexico as part of the NFL’s global markets program. The Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams are the other teams with marketing rights to the country.
Of that group, the Niners have home games scheduled against the Cardinals, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins and Rams in 2026.
The announcement comes as the NFL is set to play a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.
Estadio Banorte is set to host the contest in Mexico City. Formerly known as Estadio Azteca, the venue has undergone renovations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The news means that the Niners are now scheduled to have two international games in the upcoming season. San Francisco was previously announced on Feb. 5 as one of the participants for the NFL’s first game in Australia, where they will take on NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams.
