MELBOURNE, Australia, September 11, 2026: Australia welcomed the NFL with 100,021 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7.
Somehow, one of the day’s most viral NFL moments did not happen at the MCG at all.
It happened four years ago.
As Rams-49ers fever spread across Australia on Friday, an old breakfast television clip suddenly returned to social media showing Australian presenter Allison Langdon attempting to discuss another meeting between the teams.
Her introduction did not quite make it to the end zone.
Langdon referred to San Francisco as the “69ers”.
The mistake immediately destroyed whatever serious sports discussion had been planned. Co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Alex Cullen started laughing, Langdon realized what she had said, and Australian breakfast television briefly became more dangerous than the 49ers pass rush.
The clip looked so perfectly timed that thousands of NFL fans initially assumed it had happened during the league’s historic 2026 Australian visit.
It had not.
That may be what makes the whole episode even funnier.
For more league coverage, results and analysis, visit The Sports Encounter’s NFL hub.
The Viral ’69ers’ Clip Is Real. The 2026 Timing Is Not.
The first thing worth clearing up is the timeline.
The television blooper originally aired on Australia’s Today Show in October 2022.
Langdon was talking about a Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers when she accidentally changed one digit in one of the most recognizable names in American sport.
The exchange was reported by Australian media at the time and was later picked up internationally.
Four years later, the same footage resurfaced on September 11, 2026, precisely when San Francisco and Los Angeles were playing Australia’s first regular-season NFL game.
That coincidence caused the clip to spread as if it were breaking television.
What Allison Langdon Actually Said
Langdon was teasing her co-hosts for spending their free time watching American football.
She referred to the Rams game and then accidentally said “San Francisco 69ers.”
Alex Cullen immediately corrected her to “49ers.”
The correction arrived too late.
Karl Stefanovic responded that the accidental version sounded much more interesting, while Cullen joked that people might pay to watch it.
Stefanovic then added that watching the “49ers” was much easier to explain at home than watching the alternative.
The segment never fully recovered.
Langdon laughed, covered her face and tried to move the conversation back toward football.
The studio had already moved somewhere else entirely.
The Actual Game Behind the Original Blooper
The 2022 broadcast was discussing the Rams’ Week 4 visit to San Francisco on October 3.
The 49ers won 24-9 at Levi’s Stadium.
Deebo Samuel scored on a 57-yard reception, while Talanoa Hufanga returned a Matthew Stafford interception 52 yards for a touchdown to seal the game.
The NFL’s official 2022 schedule confirms the 24-9 result, while the 49ers’ own game report records seven sacks and a dominant defensive performance against the defending Super Bowl champions.
There is therefore one part of Langdon’s segment that aged surprisingly well.
The 49ers really did win.
Then 2026 Created the Perfect Accidental Sequel
The timing of the clip’s return could hardly have been scripted better.
On September 11, 2026, the Rams and 49ers met again, except this time nearly 8,000 miles from California.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosted Australia’s first NFL regular-season game, the centerpiece of the league’s international expansion strategy.
The Sports Encounter had already examined why the NFL chose Australia and Week 1 for the landmark matchup.
The league brought a real NFC West rivalry rather than an exhibition, giving Australian fans a meaningful game with standings consequences.
San Francisco then dominated it.
The 49ers beat Los Angeles 27-7 behind three Brock Purdy touchdown passes and a defense that prevented the Rams from scoring after the second quarter.
The result added another layer of unintended comedy to the revived clip.
Four years after Australian television accidentally renamed them, San Francisco returned to Australian screens and beat the Rams again.
Why the Clip Fooled So Many People in 2026
The footage was almost designed to be misidentified.
The teams were correct.
The country was correct.
The breakfast television setting was correct.
The date it resurfaced could not have been more relevant.
Rams versus 49ers was dominating Australian sports coverage because Melbourne was staging one of the most ambitious international events in NFL history.
The Sports Encounter’s analysis of the NFL’s global expansion strategy showed why the Melbourne game mattered far beyond a single Friday morning.
Against that background, an Australian anchor apparently getting the 49ers’ name wrong during live coverage felt entirely plausible.
Social media supplied the missing context much later.
The Internet Did What the Internet Always Does
Once “69ers” entered the conversation, the original correction never stood much of a chance.
The 2026 reposts immediately produced jokes about fantasy football, alternative franchise names and whether San Francisco should simply accept the rebrand.
Some viewers recognized the footage straight away.
Others genuinely believed Australian television had created the joke during the Melbourne game.
Several Reddit users eventually pointed out that the clip predated 2026 by years.
That did not slow the jokes.
Accuracy won the fact check.
The meme won everything else.
Karl Stefanovic’s Reaction Is Half the Reason the Clip Survived
Langdon made the mistake, but Stefanovic gave it longevity.
Rather than correcting the name and immediately moving on, he treated the error as an invitation.
His reaction turned an ordinary verbal stumble into the kind of television moment that keeps being reposted years later.
Cullen joined in, Langdon laughed at herself, and the segment developed naturally rather than feeling forced.
That is why the clip still works.
There is no elaborate setup.
Someone says the wrong number.
Everyone understands exactly why it is funny.
The presenters lose control for a few seconds.
Television gold follows.
The NFL’s Australian Arrival Was Already Full of Cultural Crossovers
The 69ers clip was not the only strange meeting between American football and Australian culture during the week.
The 49ers arrived well ahead of Los Angeles and spent days engaging with local fans.
San Francisco’s preparation had been a major storyline before kickoff, particularly because Nick Bosa and George Kittle were returning from significant injuries. The Sports Encounter examined that challenge in our 49ers Australia injury and travel analysis.
The contrast became even sharper because the Rams arrived much later.
San Francisco looked comfortable in Melbourne.
Los Angeles did not.
The Sports Encounter also examined how Aaron Donald’s return had increased expectations around the Rams before Week 1.
Instead, the supposed Super Bowl contender scored seven points.
San Francisco Has Now Beaten the Rams in Both Versions of This Story
| Game | Location | Result | Unexpected Australian Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rams vs 49ers, 2022 | Santa Clara, California | 49ers won 24-9 | The Today Show “69ers” blooper followed the game |
| Rams vs 49ers, 2026 | Melbourne, Australia | 49ers won 27-7 | The old “69ers” clip went viral again |
The symmetry is almost too neat.
In both games, the Rams struggled offensively.
In both games, San Francisco won comfortably.
In both years, somebody in Australia ended up laughing about the 49ers.
The Melbourne Game Was Much Bigger Than the Meme
The joke should not obscure what actually happened at the MCG.
Australia’s first NFL regular-season game drew an announced crowd of 100,021.
Reuters reported that Brock Purdy threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns as San Francisco won 27-7.
The crowd figure made the game one of the largest-attended regular-season contests in league history.
The Sports Encounter had already argued that the Australia experiment was really a test of whether the NFL could turn international curiosity into long-term fandom.
Judged purely by attention, Melbourne passed.
Fans filled the stadium.
The game dominated Australian sports conversation.
And a four-year-old breakfast television mistake suddenly became relevant again.
The 49ers May Have Won Something Else in Australia
The Rams were technically the home team in Melbourne.
The crowd did not always sound like it.
San Francisco had spent considerably more time in Australia before the game, interacting with supporters and adjusting to the local environment.
The Sports Encounter’s broader NFL international growth analysis noted that global games are increasingly about building lasting franchise relationships rather than selling a stadium once.
The 49ers may have accelerated that process considerably.
They arrived early.
They won convincingly.
They already had a large Australian following.
And thanks to Allison Langdon, they now possess an unofficial nickname that apparently refuses to die.
Why This Old Clip Going Viral Again Actually Matters
There is a serious media lesson hiding inside the joke.
Old video frequently returns during breaking news because algorithms reward relevance before context.
A Rams-49ers clip appearing while Rams-49ers are playing in Australia immediately feels current, even when the footage is four years old.
That makes verification increasingly important for sports publishers.
A viral video may be authentic and still be misleading.
The Langdon footage is genuine.
The date attached to many 2026 reposts is the problem.
For The Sports Encounter, that distinction matters because sports journalism should be able to enjoy the joke without manufacturing the story around it.
TSE Reality Check
| Claim | Verdict |
|---|---|
| An Australian presenter called the 49ers the “69ers” | True |
| It happened during the 2026 Australia game | False |
| The presenter was Allison Langdon | True |
| Karl Stefanovic and Alex Cullen joked about the mistake | True |
| The original segment aired in 2022 | True |
| The clip went viral again during the 2026 Rams-49ers Melbourne game | True |
The Best Joke May Be the Timing
San Francisco traveled to Australia to help the NFL create history.
The team won 27-7, Purdy threw three touchdowns and more than 100,000 people watched inside the MCG.
Yet somewhere in the middle of all that, Australian social media rediscovered a woman saying “69ers” four years earlier.
That is sport in the internet age.
History happens.
Highlights happen.
Then an old television blooper steals the afternoon.
The NFL wanted Australians talking about the 49ers.
Technically, mission accomplished.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did an Australian TV anchor call the San Francisco 49ers the 69ers?
Yes. Australian presenter Allison Langdon accidentally referred to the San Francisco 49ers as the “69ers” during a Today Show segment.
Did the 69ers mistake happen during the 2026 NFL Australia game?
No. The clip originally aired in October 2022. It resurfaced and went viral again during the 2026 Rams-49ers game in Melbourne.
Who made the 69ers mistake?
Allison Langdon, then a co-host of Australia’s Today Show, made the slip while discussing a Rams-49ers game.
Who were the other presenters in the viral clip?
Karl Stefanovic and Alex Cullen were part of the segment and immediately reacted to Langdon’s mistake.
What game was the original 2022 clip referring to?
It referred to the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 4 game against the San Francisco 49ers on October 3, 2022.
Who won the 2022 Rams-49ers game?
San Francisco won 24-9 at Levi’s Stadium.
Who won the 2026 Rams-49ers game in Australia?
San Francisco won 27-7 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Was the 2026 game the first regular-season NFL game in Australia?
Yes. The Rams-49ers Week 1 matchup was the first NFL regular-season game played in Australia.
How many fans attended the NFL game in Melbourne?
The announced attendance was 100,021.
Why did the old video go viral again?
The same teams were playing in Australia, creating perfect timing for a four-year-old Australian television clip about the Rams and 49ers to be mistaken for a current broadcast.
