Forty per cent of tickets are expected to go to overseas visitors, with heightened NFL-type security expected outside the ground. The Rams are the host team for the event.
Dotson, 29, said he was excited about facing the 49ers, fierces rival in the NFC West.
“I think they [NFL] chose probably the best game to do it for, a rivalry game, the NFC West. I feel like all four teams are constant rivals against each other, so, I think, us being chosen as one of the best NFC teams in the west, the 49ers being a good team, they [NFL] are getting the best they could be available for Australia,” Dotson said.
The Rams, led by veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, lost the NFC championship game last season to Seattle, the eventual Super Bowl champions. The 49ers lost to the Seahawks in the divisional playoffs.
Sydney hosted an exhibition NFL game in 1999, but this game will have all the intensity of a proper clash.
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The Rams – who signed star corner Trent McDuffie from Kansas last week – will be determined to kickstart their new campaign in style.
“That’s the plan, man,” Dotson said.
“You kind of have to take it [the loss to Seattle] for what it is. We lost. But we do have to take that. We understand we were a play or two away from being in the Super Bowl and possibly winning a Super Bowl. I think you take that and use that pain as a fuel to propel us this year.”
The NFL fixture will also activate the Yarra Park precinct, ensuring a party-like atmosphere for those even without tickets to the match. There could even be tailgate parties in the hours leading into the match, a weekly tradition in the US.
Nine overseas matches will be held in the 2025-26 NFL season, including Melbourne, up from a record seven in five overseas cities last season – Dublin, São Paulo, Berlin, London and Madrid.
“It’s not even a dream that I knew that I could even have,” Dotson said of playing in Melbourne.
“I am thinking about just making it to the league and now being able to spread it around, it’s just a blessing, and I just hope they [Melbourne fans] can fully appreciate the game that has given me so much.”
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