49ers’ Kyle Shanahan had to be dying inside talking about complex international travel plans

There has been good news for the San Francisco 49ers, but their schedule hasn’t exactly been part of it. And Kyle Shanahan had to be dying inside when he talked about the team’s complex international travel plans.

And Shanahan had complained about it before. But now he’s looking at things from a different angle, according to NBC Sports.

“We haven’t finalized it yet, but we’d love to stay here and go there,” Shanahan said of the travel plans for the Week 11 game against the Vikings in Mexico City. “It’s a shorter flight, but that’s not really the issue.

“The main thing with Mexico City is it’s 2,000 [feet] higher than Denver. And so, we like to get adjusted to that altitude. So, we’ll probably go to Colorado Springs again, like we did last time, to get ready for that altitude. And then probably go to Mexico City the night before.”

49ers facing some scheduling challenges in 2026

The biggest problem is simply two international trips.

“The two international trips impose a significant burden on the 49ers. And it potentially creates a competitive disadvantage,” Mike Florio wrote. “Those issues, however, have taken a back seat to the league’s efforts to globalize the game.”

Florio wrote that if every team had to leave the country one time, things would be even. But then again, that only works if the games around the international contest aren’t as demanding or critical. For example, a team wouldn’t want to play a big division rivalry game right after the international contest. That is, unless there was a 10-day buffer built into the schedule.

The 49ers technically open with four straight home games. That’s if you count Australia as a home contest. But heading into the Week 11 game in Mexico, the 49ers play at the Seahawks (Week 5), Falcons (Week 7), and Cowboys (Week 10).

And in Week 12? Yep. The Seahawks again. It almost looks like the NFL doesn’t particularly like Shanahan and the 49ers.

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