Kyle Shanahan had a plan for revenge, but the NFL just wasn't having it.

The San Francisco 49ers head coach was already frustrated when his team was chosen as the Los Angeles Rams' opponent for the season opener in Melbourne, Australia. What really got under his skin? He claims the Rams specifically requested to face the 49ers in that game, dragging them across the Pacific for a Week 1 showdown.

"Hopefully, the league will do right and let us play the Rams in Mexico, since we've got to go out of the country twice, and they requested us. I'm requesting them in Mexico," Shanahan said earlier this offseason.

It was a bold move—a request for a little payback on the international stage. But when the NFL released the full 2026 international schedule, Shanahan's revenge plot was officially shut down.

Instead of a Rams-49ers matchup in Mexico City, the league slated the 49ers to host the Minnesota Vikings there in Week 11. That means the Rams dodged a second international trip, while the 49ers still have to navigate two games abroad.

The 49ers are one of just two teams playing multiple international games in 2026, joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will play back-to-back weeks in London. San Francisco's journey begins in Australia as the road team in Week 1, followed by a home game in Mexico City against the Vikings in Week 11.

For Rams fans, it's a win—no extra travel, no Shanahan-inspired revenge. For the 49ers, it's a long-haul season that just got a whole lot longer.