49ers chief blown away by MCG

The San Francisco 49ers are five-time Super Bowl champions, but can they make it six this season?

Speaking on SEN’s Whateley, 49ers CEO Al Guido is confident that they have built a roster capable of competing for the Super Bowl title.

“I believe so, I believe so!” exclaimed the 49ers chief.

“But rosters do change throughout the year. Last year, we saw the injuries that happened to our team.

“Yet we still finished 12-5 and made a run, (only losing) in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champions.”

However, Guido admitted that their NFC West division is stacked, consisting of the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and obviously the 49ers themselves.

Due to their division being “really tough”, the 49ers CEO expressed some doubt about their Super Bowl chances.

“For people that are just tuning in and learning NFL football, the easiest way to get into the playoffs is to win your division,” explained Guido.

“But for us, that's tough. Our division is really tough.

“We have the defending Super Bowl champions in the Seattle Seahawks. You’ve got the LA Rams who aspire to win a Super Bowl and signed Myles Garrett and brought back Aaron Donald, and then you’ve got us.

“All three of those teams last year won more than 12 games in a very, very tough NFC. The NFC is stacked with a bunch of teams, and it is hard to continue to do that every single year.”

On Friday, the 49ers kick off their 2026/27 season in Melbourne against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday morning.

The travel approach to Melbourne has been very different by the two teams though. The 49ers landed in the city last Friday, allowing the players to adapt to Australia, while the Rams will only be touching down in Melbourne one day before their game.

Reflecting on those two vastly separate strategies to travelling to Melbourne, Guido believes the 49ers way is superior from a health and safety perspective.

“They definitely have a different approach to come here,” continued Guido.

“There's only two ways to do it, and of course, we think our way from a health and safety perspective is the right way for our players.

“But I have a ton of respect for Sean McVay (Rams coach). This is going to be a great game on Friday; we both have Super Bowl aspirations.”

With the game being hosted at the MCG, the 49ers CEO admitted he was blown away by how impressive Australia’s premiere stadium is.

“It’s just amazing. I've seen it on TV, but it doesn't do it any justice to walk in there, to stand on the ground and see 100,000 people,” exclaimed Guido.

“So, I'm looking forward to seeing a sea of red in that stadium on Friday.”

The 49ers vs Rams will kick off at 10:35am AEST on Friday morning at the MCG.