Kyle Shanahan Strongly Opposes NFL’s Decision – Fans Are Slowly Agreeing With Him as They Understand the Tensions Between the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams Due to NFL’s Unfair Decisions

San Francisco, California – Recently, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed his strong opposition to the NFL's decision to have his team play against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia to open the 2026 season.

When asked about playing against the Rams in Australia for the NFL season opener, Shanahan reacted sharply and sarcastically, showing his discontent with the decision.

"Why not Mexico, instead of Australia?" Shanahan said with a tone full of sarcasm. “The 49ers don’t want to go that far to play. It’s not beneficial for the team.”

Shanahan explained that playing internationally presents a big challenge for the team, especially when they have to travel 19 hours to face the Rams in Australia.

Shanahan emphasized that NFL's decision was unfair to the 49ers, as the team would have to face an unnecessary burden without any real benefi

“NFL has truly been unfair,” Shanahan continued. “I think the Rams were scared and didn’t want to face the noise from the Niners.”

The 49ers head coach made it clear that he doesn’t see any benefit in playing in Australia, especially when they won’t get a bye week after the game.

Shanahan explained that if the team had to go international, Mexico would have been a better option, where they could take advantage of the strong fan base.

Shanahan emphasized that the 49ers have an amazing fan base in Mexico, and he would love to play there instead of going all the way to Australia.

The tension between the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams has been building for years, especially with the strong presence of 49ers fans in SoFi Stadium.

SoFi Stadium has been referred to as “Levi’s South” by many fans due to the overwhelming number of 49ers supporters during games held at the Rams’ home stadium.

Shanahan believes that the Rams lobbied for the game in Australia because they didn’t want to deal with the dominance of 49ers fans in their stadium.

Shanahan didn’t deny this and said that this was likely why the Rams asked for the game in Australia. “I understand their intentions,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan’s frustrations may be based on truth, as fans have often pointed out how much 49ers supporters outnumber Rams fans at SoFi Stadium during games.

Reports from ticket resale sites have shown that as much as 65% of SoFi’s capacity at times consisted of 49ers fans, based on ticket sales data.

The attention surrounding the 49ers’ dominance at SoFi Stadium even led to the stadium’s Wikipedia page being renamed to “Levi’s South” in 2023.

Shanahan hopes the NFL will reconsider and allow the 49ers to play the Rams in Mexico, a place where the 49ers can enjoy their passionate fan support.

He continued to argue that playing in Mexico would be fairer and would allow the 49ers to tap into their strong Mexican fan base.

Shanahan hopes the NFL will recognize the fairness in holding the game in Mexico, which would provide a more balanced environment for both teams.

Shanahan concluded that while the Rams may have successfully lobbied for their advantage, he believes the 49ers deserve to have their request granted for fairness.

The NFL’s decision has sparked considerable debate, and 49ers fans are increasingly understanding the tensions Shanahan and his team are facing due to these unfair choices.