Weeks after the Miami Dolphins were announced as the host team for the first-ever regular season game in Spain next season, the NFL announced this week that the Los Angeles Rams would do the same for the first-ever game in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026.
So, naturally, the first instinct is to look at the list of Rams opponents for that 2026 season, and it currently does not include the Dolphins — though it could, and for a game where the Rams would be the home team.
Based on the NFL’s scheduling formula, the NFC teams will get the ninth home game that season and the divisional pairings for that extra interconference matchup has the AFC East facing the NFC West. That means the Dolphins will face the L.A. Rams as the road team in 2026 if the teams finish in the same position in their division — they did that in 2023 when Miami was second in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles was second in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers.
But even if the Dolphins do wind up being on the Rams’ schedule in 2026, it’s difficult to envision the NFL making them the opponents for the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
For starters, the NFL doesn’t generally make it a habit of having teams — other than the Jacksonville Jaguars — play international games in back-to-back seasons, though it has happened in the past. Most recently, it was the New England Patriots playing in Germany in 2023 and England in 2024.
Then there’s the issue of distance. It’s a 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, and tack on four additional hours for a flight from Miami. It seems like an awfully big ask for a team to fly that extra time, particularly when there are obvious alternatives.
We can start with the Rams’ NFC West opponents, the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. And in 2026, the Rams are scheduled for a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which certainly seems like a logical candidate for the game.
THE DOLPHINS’ POTENTIAL SPAIN OPPONENTS
Long before we find out the Rams’ opponent for that Australia game in 2026, we’ll learn who the Dolphins will face in Spain next season.
As a reminder, the Dolphins’ home opponents for 2025 are, besides the other AFC East teams, Baltimore, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, the L.A. Chargers and the Washington Commanders.
