NEW ORLEANS — It’s been seven years since Jordan Mailata made the switch from rugby to American football, yet his roots are still quite visible.

The Philadelphia Eagles tackle owns a distinct Australian accent, and when he took the podium for media sessions during the week, he fielded plenty of questions regarding his connection to his home country, ranging from his International Player Pathway program experience — which Mailata honestly described as a “long process” — to the tens of thousands who will watch him play in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.

The week marked the perfect time, then, for the NFL to announce it will host its first-ever regular season game in Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2026 as part of a multiyear commitment. The league made the deal official Wednesday as part of its effort to continue to grow the game across the globe.

“I think we’ve done a good job the last six, seven, maybe even the last decade of trying to grow the sport down there,” Mailata said Thursday. “The more the merrier. Hopefully, this isn’t a one and done.”