An Australia-first multi-year deal between the NFL and Victorian Authorities, which can see Melbourne Cricket Floor host Nationwide Soccer League (NFL) common season video games from 2026, is welcome information for town’s hoteliers.  

Lodging Australia (Victoria) Common Supervisor, Dougal Hollis, has welcomed the information, saying it displays Melbourne’s envied status as a world-leading main occasions metropolis, with report crowds on the current Australian Formulation 1 Grand Prix, Boxing Day Check and Australian Open Grand Slam solely serving to reinforce this status additional.

“A protracted historical past of profitable main occasion supply undoubtedly offers the NFL requisite confidence that internet hosting NFL fixtures in Melbourne will rating a ‘landing’ with native and worldwide soccer followers alike,” stated Hollis.

“NFL is extremely well-liked in Australia, the game reportedly boasting 6.6m followers throughout the nation.

“Tv audiences in the USA are additionally vital, averaging 21m followers throughout the opening week of the 2024 season.

“Elevated publicity to North American markets encourages better potential for US-based NFL followers to journey to Melbourne, from an essential in-bound journey market presently price $239m yearly to Victoria.”

Lodging Australia (Victoria) Advisory Group Chair, Peter Minatsis, stated there’s  a powerful correlation between elevated lodge occupancies and main occasion timing.

“Most NFL video games are performed on Sunday afternoons, or Monday evenings in the USA,” he stated.

“Assuming Melbourne’s hosted NFL video games comply with the same sample, this scheduling would show a great addition to early-week lodge occupancies throughout Melbourne metropolis.

“Melbourne is considered one of few international cities the place world class sporting and cultural precincts are inside simple strolling distance of the CBD. This compact range provides an actual carnival ambiance throughout main occasion durations and is unattainable for many different cities to duplicate.”

Delta Air Traces lately confirmed three new direct flights from Los Angeles to Melbourne, commencing December 2025. The transfer is a well timed addition to those routes, with 1,200 continuous flights between Melbourne and the USA annually now carrying 435,000 passengers.