An Australia-first multi-year deal between the NFL and Victorian Government, which will see Melbourne Cricket Ground host National Football League (NFL) regular season games from 2026, is welcome news for the city’s hoteliers.
Accommodation Australia (Victoria) General Manager, Dougal Hollis, has welcomed the news, saying it reflects Melbourne’s envied reputation as a world-leading major events city, with record crowds at the recent Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, Boxing Day Test and Australian Open Grand Slam only serving to enhance this reputation further.
“A long history of successful major event delivery undoubtedly gives the NFL requisite confidence that hosting NFL fixtures in Melbourne will score a ‘touchdown’ with local and international football fans alike,” said Hollis.
“NFL is incredibly popular in Australia, the sport reportedly boasting 6.6m fans across the country.
“Television audiences in the United States are also significant, averaging 21m fans across the opening week of the 2024 season.
“Increased exposure to North American markets encourages greater potential for US-based NFL fans to travel to Melbourne, from an important in-bound travel market currently worth $239m annually to Victoria.”
Accommodation Australia (Victoria) Advisory Group Chair, Peter Minatsis, said there is a strong correlation between increased hotel occupancies and major event timing.
“Most NFL games are played on Sunday afternoons, or Monday evenings in the United States,” he said.
“Assuming Melbourne’s hosted NFL games follow a similar pattern, this scheduling would prove a welcome boost to early-week hotel occupancies across Melbourne city.
“Melbourne is one of few global cities where world class sporting and cultural precincts are within easy walking distance of the CBD. This compact diversity adds a real carnival atmosphere during major event periods and is impossible for most other cities to replicate.”
Delta Air Lines recently confirmed three new direct flights from Los Angeles to Melbourne, commencing December 2025. The move is a timely addition to these routes, with 1,200 non-stop flights between Melbourne and the United States each year now carrying 435,000 passengers.