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49ers Coach Shanahan Feels Like He Is in the Future Before Landmark Australia Game

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the long journey to Australia has left him confused about the time ahead of Friday's season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
  • The teams will play the first NFL regular-season game in Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
  • San Francisco has trained around the unusual morning kickoff, while the Rams plan to arrive the day before and follow their normal California routine.

Kyle Shanahan joked that he feels as though he is in the future as the San Francisco 49ers adjust to the time difference before their NFL season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia.

The teams will meet Friday at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first NFL regular-season game played in Australia. San Francisco arrived a week before kickoff to acclimatize, but Shanahan said the time zones had left him unsure whether it was Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

We're a little confused with when I look at my clock and it says the time, and then I try to see my family's time, and it says the time, but it says yesterday. I don't get how that's possible. So I feel like I'm in the future.

· Kyle ShanahanThe 49ers coach described the confusion caused by the time difference before the game in Melbourne.

The 49ers have trained in the Australian morning ahead of the 10:35 a.m. kickoff. The team also gave players detailed guidance on sleep, nutrition and supplements after consulting experts. Running back Christian McCaffrey said the preparation packets covered when players should stay awake, sleep and take different supplements.

We love being the only game on, as opposed to being on a Sunday where there's a lot of games playing, and it's really cool to be out here. And I think our guys are pretty jacked now.

· Kyle ShanahanShanahan said the team had become excited about playing the landmark game in Australia.

The Rams, nominally the home team, are taking a different approach. They will arrive the day before the game and maintain routines designed for a 5:35 p.m. kickoff in California.

San Francisco's 2025 season ended with a 41-6 divisional playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Shanahan said the team initially found the idea of opening the season in Australia difficult to absorb, but the players were now excited. Several 49ers had already experienced the scale of the venue after attending an Australian Football League playoff watched by 96,680 spectators.

There were big packets on the plane, different supplements to take at different hours, different sleep suggestions, when to stay up during the day, when to go to bed.

· Christian McCaffreyThe 49ers running back described the team's detailed preparations for the time change and morning kickoff.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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