No NFL team will collect more frequent-flyer miles in 2026 than the San Francisco 49ers, who are scheduled to travel 38,105 miles — more than four times the Carolina Panthers’ league-low total — largely because of their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
NFL's international games have taken center stage once again, and there's something to be said about growing the game — it's what commissioner Rodger Goodell has emphasized. This year, there will be a record nine international games played as close as Mexico City and as far as Australia, a historic trip that pushes both NFC West teams to the top of the league’s travel rankings. But they aren’t the only franchises facing a uniquely demanding schedule. Here’s how all 32 teams compare.
Ranking every NFL team by miles traveled during the 2026 season
NFL TEAM | TOTAL MILES TRAVELED IN 2026 |
|---|---|
1. San Francisco 49ers | 38,105 |
2. Los Angeles Rams | 34,847 |
3. Houston Texans | 28,470 |
4. Dallas Cowboys | 27,980 |
5. New England Patriots | 27,590 |
6. Miami Dolphins | 27,568 |
7. Los Angeles Chargers | 24,816 |
8. Jacksonville Jaguars | 23,392 |
9. Philadelphia Eagles | 22,115 |
10. Seattle Seahawks | 22,056 |
11. New Orleans Saints | 21,829 |
12. Las Vegas Raiders | 21,099 |
13. Buffalo Bills | 19,734 |
14. Denver Broncos | 19,129 |
15. Detroit Lions | 18,958 |
16. Washington Commanders | 18,491 |
17. Kansas City Chiefs | 18,401 |
18. Tennessee Titans | 18,157 |
19. New York Giants | 18,109 |
20. Atlanta Falcons | 17,431 |
21. Baltimore Ravens | 17,422 |
22. Indianapolis Colts | 15,868 |
23. Arizona Cardinals | 15,646 |
24. Cincinnati Bengals | 15,177 |
25. Minnesota Vikings | 14,852 |
26. Pittsburgh Steelers | 14,183 |
27. New York Jets | 14,038 |
28. Green Bay Packers | 12,673 |
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12,185 |
30. Chicago Bears | 10,676 |
31. Cleveland Browns | 9,073 |
32. Carolina Panthers | 8,740 |
Both the 49ers and Rams travel more than 34,000 miles this year. It doesn’t help that both are the westernmost teams in the NFL. It also doesn’t help that they have to play the NFC East division this year, which features trips to New York (New Jersey, technically), Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
The Texans also play three of their final five games on the road, including three visits to cold-weather cities in December and January. Dallas also receives no relief from its relatively central location. Its Week 3 trip to Rio de Janeiro accounts for approximately 10,000 round-trip miles, and the Cowboys’ remaining road schedule includes Houston, Green Bay, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles and Washington.
While the west coast teams are traveling the most, there are three teams that won’t travel even 12,000 miles this year, and that's the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. The Panthers avoid both international games and the West Coast, while the Browns play every road game in the eastern half of the U.S.
Every international game and its estimated round-trip distance
Game Location | Teams playing | Estimated round trip distance |
|---|---|---|
Melbourne, Australia | San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams | 15,745 / 15,858 |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys | 9,616 / 10,468 |
Paris, France | New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | 9,588 / 7,775 |
London, England | Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders | 7,979 / 7,316 |
London, England | Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | 9,694 / 8,508 |
London, England | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | 7,089 / 8,508 |
Munich, Germany | Detroit Lions vs. New England Patriots | 8,633 / 7,721 |
Madrid, Spain | Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 8,629 / 8,261 |
Mexico City, Mexico | Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers | 3,611 / 3,717 |
The NFL's games in London have become an annual staple of the schedule, but when the league decided to expand down under, it made it the furthest traveled international game in history. Not only will the 49ers and Rams travel across multiple time zones, but multiple days as well. The Australia game is the farthest road trip at more than 15,000 miles, while the shortest trip is to Mexico City, which is less than 5,000 miles for both teams.
The true disadvantages of playing in the NFL international series
It's tough to deal with the time zones. There's a 12-hour time difference in Australia, for instance, which can take a toll. The 49ers opted to arrive more than one week earlier than their scheduled game to account for jet lag and get acclimated to a new environment. The Los Angeles Rams opted to wait until closer to the game to avoid any major changes in the game week routine. The Rams are notorious for spending as little time as possible in cities with drastic time changes to beat out the jet lag effect.
Another big problem traveling internationally can pose is the timing. Not all international games are created equal, meaning you could have it following or ahead of another road game across time zones. For example, Dallas plays Baltimore in Brazil in Week 3 and then has another road game the week after in Houston. Granted it’s not a terrible trip from Dallas to Houston, but a road game nonetheless.
The toughest travel stretches on the 2026 NFL schedule
Mileage alone does not tell the complete story. In less than a month, the Rams will travel to and from Australia, Los Angeles, Denver and Philadelphia (with four of those games against 2025 playoff teams). Meanwhile, Seattle’s closing stretch includes a game in Philly, a Christmas matchup at home against the Rams, a cross-country trip to Carolina and another game in Los Angeles against the Rams. Texans Weeks 13 through 17 isn't great either, with visits to Pittsburgh and Washington in consecutive weeks, home against Jacksonville and then out to Philadelphia on a short week for Christmas Eve.
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