The NFC champion San Francisco 49ers formally announced on Tuesday they will play their home opener against the Arizona Cardinals in front of no fans on Sunday, September 13 during opening weekend.

The team released a statement on Tuesday mentioning while they would not have fans in attendance for their opener due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 49ers will continue to work with state and local officials with hopes of potentially having fans inside Levi’s Stadium at some point later this season. Also, they addressed how the decision would impact season ticket holders:

As of Wednesday morning, there are 20 teams planning to start the season in some capacity without fans due to COVID-19.

Of course, one of the biggest questions is how long teams plan to stick with having no fans in attendance considering that it could be a competitive advantage (albeit a small one)?

For example, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated his desire to have fans in some capacity for home games. Meanwhile, two of their division rivals – the Eagles and Giants – are going to have any fans in attendance. I can’t imagine owners being completely cool with the idea that competitors are allowed to have fans to some degree, while they cannot.

As for the rest of the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams recently announced they will have no fans in attendance; the Seahawks will not have fans in Qwest Stadium for at least their first three home games; and the Cardinals have not formally decided any course of action yet.

In somewhat related news, the NFL is reportedly considering a playoff bubble of sorts when the postseason rolls around in January (hopefully).

The 2020 NFL season is shaping up to be unlike any other.