Vikings Once Again Tabbed for International Duty
The Vikings are familiar with in-season travels, having played overseas in 2022, 2024, and twice in 2025 in Kevin O’Connell’s four-year reign. This time, the operation won’t go to Europe, but head to Mexico to face the San Francisco 49ers.
In advance of this week’s schedule release, the NFL announced its full slate of international games. The number of those contests has risen to nine.
It’s certainly worth noting that the game is an official road game, meaning the Vikings will still have all nine home games, but only seven on the road, plus one on neutral ground. Furthermore, the trip isn’t that much longer than the standard flight to Santa Clara, CA. It’s no comparison to the usual European trips.
The Vikings wrote on the team’s website, “The Minnesota Vikings will play in Mexico for the first time in franchise history, the NFL announced Wednesday morning. Minnesota will visit the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Banorte during Week 11 for the 2026 NFL Mexico Game that will be shown on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.”
Minnesota has been wildly successful on foreign soil, with a 5-0 regular-season record in five games in London. Last year’s defeat in Dublin, Ireland, drops the international winning percentage to an excellent 83%.
The NFL has been to Mexico twice for a regular-season bout.
“This will be the third regular-season NFL game in Mexico played in by the 49ers, who had been announced as the home team in February,” Vikings writer Craig Peters continued. “San Francisco launched the NFL’s regular-season history in Mexico on Oct. 2, 2005, when it played Arizona (a 31-14 win by the Cardinals) in front of 103,467 fans. The franchises met for a rematch of sorts on Nov. 21, 2022, with the Niners prevailing 38-10 in the most recent game in Mexico.”
Recent history against the 49ers has been kind to the Vikings, with wins in the past two meetings in 2023 and 2024. Memorable moments include a rookie Jordan Addison, who snatched the ball out of a defender’s hands and then ran for an improbable touchdown. In 2024, Sam Darnold completed a 97-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson.
The all-time series (including the postseason) is tied at 25-25-1.
San Francisco wants to repeat their regular-season success from last year when they finished with a 12-5 record. Unfortunately, that was only good enough for third in the stacked NFC West, which is why the third-placed Vikings even have the 49ers on the schedule.
Kyle Shanahan’s crew made one big-name acquisition this offseason when they signed Mike Evans from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That opened the door for big-bodied wideout Jauan Jennings to seek other options in free agency and he eventually landed in Minnesota. He’ll get his reunion not in his home stadium from the last six years, but in Mexico City.
It’ll also be a reunion for running back Jordan Mason, who’s a second-year Viking. Minnesota’s 2022 draftee, Vederian Lowe, joined the Week 11 foes this offseason, likely to provide depth along the offensive line.
The guy who drafted him, ex-Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, returned to the 49ers after the Vikings showed him the door.
The remaining details of the 17-game slate will be released on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (CT).