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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan criticized the NFL for making his team travel to play in Australia

The San Francisco 49ers released their schedule for the 2026 NFL season on Thursday, May 14. There were a lot of things that stood out. The team will travel 38,105 miles, the most of any team in the NFL, according to Bill Speros.

The 49ers will have two international games. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan let everyone know he was not thrilled with their Week 1 matchup being played in Melbourne, Australia. San Francisco will also travel to Mexico City, Mexico, in Week 11 versus the Minnesota Vikings.

Due to their rough schedule, the San Francisco 49ers were named one of four “losers,” according to Eric Edholm of NFL.com.

San Francisco 49ers’ Toughest Stretch of 2026 Season

Even though the 49ers have a third-place schedule, there are not a lot of gimme matchups. After the 49ers face the Vikings in Mexico City, they will have a challenging conclusion to their season.

Eric Edholm described the toughest stretch of the 49ers’ season.

“The post-Mexico schedule looks pretty rough: vs. Seahawks (Week 12), at Giants (Week 13), vs. Rams (Week 14), at Chargers (Thursday of Week 15), at Chiefs (Week 16) and home against the Eagles (Week 17), followed by a regular-season finale at Arizona,” Edholm writes. “And yes, the 49ers can beat up on the Dolphins (Week 2) and Cardinals (Week 3) early on, but those are followed by a tough three games vs. Denver (Week 4), at Seattle (Week 5) and a home Monday-nighter against the Commanders (Week 6).”

What are the Advantages of the 49ers’ schedule?

The NFL did reward the 49ers with three home games following their season opener in Australia. It will allow the team to reset their body clocks.

San Francisco also gets a nice mid-season bye in Week 8 compared to their late Week 14 bye last season.

The 49ers also only play one team coming off their bye, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard. Division rival and reigning Super Bowl champs will have Week 11 off before they play the 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 29.

GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 28: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter of the game at Levi’s Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

49ers Hope to Build on Last Season’s Success

The 49ers were battered with injuries to some of their best players throughout the 2025 season. Former All-Pros Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and George Kittle all suffered season-ending injuries. 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams also tore his ACL.

Despite missing a lot of key players, the 49ers finished 12-5 and beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card. But San Francisco showed that they are still a ways away after losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 41-6 in the NFC Divisional round.

The 49ers return a lot of talent and hope to get Bosa, Warner and Kittle healthy before Week 1.

San Francisco also had a busy offseason. They signed All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams to a two-year contract extension. Their free agency was headlined by signing Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans and former fan favorite LB Dre Greenlaw. They also addressed their defensive line by trading the No. 90 overall pick to the Cowboys for DT Osa Odighizuwa. The 49ers also used the NFL Draft to add youth to positions of need.