NFL Melbourne live updates, San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams scores, video highlights, latest news: First ever spectacle set to generate $300m boost

The LA Rams have taken both of the usual locker rooms for this game, effectively the home and away rooms.

All of the lockers themselves have been ripped out and replaced with wider and bigger ones that the NFL players are used to.

This has forced the 49ers into the umpires' changerooms, which have also received a temporary upgrade.

Victorian premier Ben Carroll is rapt with the reaction to Melbourne this week from visiting fans and officials.

More than 90,000 people are expected to pack the MCG today for the first NFL game on Australian soil.

“It is palpable,” Caroll tells Nine’s Today this morning.

“There’s no doubt Victoria is the real winner.

“Tickets have been sold to 35 different countries around the world - 100,000 people coming from 35 countries, Melbourne is the winner.

“When I’m talking to people from around the world, they can’t believe we have a stadium on the doorstep of our city like the MCG.”

The government is reportedly forking out upwards of $40 million over three years to bring NFL to the city.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, in all its glory.

The famous stadium has played host to many major events over the years, but it has never looked like this before.

The first ever NFL game on Aussie soil, fittingly is at our best and most famous venue.

Fans forked out of hundreds of dollars for tickets to this NFL game.

And they may need to take out a second mortgage by the end of the day, given the price of food and drink at the MCG.

A bottle of water is $6... a bag of lollies is $11! Absolutely outrageous.

The game doesn’t begin until 10.35am but already fans are out in force around the MCG.

American journalist Grant Cohn, who has gone viral this week after sightseeing around Melbourne, is impressed by the Aussie enthusiasm.

“It’s 7.30 in the morning and people are already tailgating - people show up, drink beer, and barbecue hotdogs,” Cohn tells Nine’s Today.

“Normally they start around 10.30am, because that’s acceptable, but the game starts at 10.30am so people are getting drunk right now.

“It’s a great atmosphere.”

Ben Te Kura was a Broncos NRL player until July, when the club agreed to release him from his contract so he could pursue an NFL dream.

Earlier in the year he had been given a leave of absence to attend a training camp in America.

On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers gave Te Kura a training run in Melbourne.

The 205cm behemoth hopes to land a spot on an NFL roster.

His presence at 49ers training on Thursday had NFL journalists in an absolute spin.

One of them even posted a YouTube video of his highlight reel from the Queensland Cup!

They seem to be taken by his size... although they keep calling him a “rugby player”, sigh.

A number of American journos have made the trip over and seem to be thoroughly enjoying their time in Melbourne.

Twitter (or X) is full of those who have made the trip, enjoying their time in the city and clearly excited to be here.

Not among them is ESPN host Scott Van Pelt, who isn’t a fan of the Australia game, or the NFL launching it season yesterday with the Super Bowl rematch between Seattle and New England.

“Wednesday, just ’cause you can? Yeah, this is, like, ’cause you can,” Van Pelt said on his podcast.

“Rams-Niners in Australia? For what? Because they like football? Great, they can turn it on. It’s already Christmas in Australia. It’s a month-and-a-half ahead.

“I just feel like it’s just entirely unnecessary.”

With the game set to be broadcast by Netflix back into the US, maybe Van Pelt’s just jealous he didn’t get a free holiday.

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