The National Football League is making a significant move to raise its global profile after years of struggling to expand beyond its domestic roots.
Last week, the league announced the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, which will be headlined by the seven-time Super Bowl champion. Tom Bradywill take place on March 21, 2026 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The showcase event is expected to serve as an important precursor to the debut of flag football at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where NFL hopes that the inclusion of the sport will accelerate its growth around the world.
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, produced by OBB Media and Fanatics, will feature a three-team round-robin tournament consisting of former NFL greats and current stars, including Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles), CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys), Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers), Sauce Gardner (New York Jets), Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders), Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders), Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins) and Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns).
“I have always admired the power of flag football and how it brings fans of all ages together, and it’s great to be able to showcase the sport on such a global stage, bringing so many incredibly accomplished athletes together,” Brady said in a press release.
Organizers said additional participants from other sports and entertainment industries will be announced later. The event will see three teams of eight players compete in a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the championship game. It will air live on FOX Sports and Tubi and will be hosted by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
Garrett, one of the NFL's top defensive players, said his decision to participate was driven by a desire to help expand the game's reach.
“Just like any other sport develops around the world, we want to [American football] game in the world,” Garrett told the Guardian. “We are proud to be ambassadors for this wonderful game that we love.”
The NFL's move comes as Saudi Arabia continues to expand its influence in global sports, investing billions of dollars to attract major events and athletes to the kingdom. His efforts have included the launch of LIV Golf in 2022, lucrative deals to attract some of the world's best footballers and high-profile boxing matches – all part of a wider effort to reshape his global image through sport.
Many athletes were then hesitant to participate, and Saudi Arabia faced sharp criticism in 2022 when it launched LIV Golf, a rival league to the PGA Tour backed by its sovereign wealth fund. The PGA and LIV now have a working agreement.
Garrett said there are always challenges when starting something new.
“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it,” he said. “You have to take that into account and find a way to be different and still be attractive. That's what we're trying to do. We still love the game here, but we want to see it grow and find new areas of talent.”
For Garrett, this is another chance to showcase his sport on the world stage. But for critics, it is part of a much larger debate about what role Saudi Arabia – and its billions – should play in the world of sports.
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Critics accuse Saudi Arabia of “sports washing” – using high-profile sports investments to improve its global image and distract attention from a series of human rights violations, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a crackdown on dissent and ongoing restrictions on the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people.
“When high-profile athletes or celebrities participate, it sends a signal to global audiences that Saudi Arabia is a ‘regular’ host to major sporting events,” said Nadine Abdulaziz, human rights monitoring and advocacy officer at ALQST. “This could weaken critical attention to the kingdom's human rights record and shift the narrative towards economic opportunity, tourism or entertainment, effectively softening the impact of previous criticism.”
Ali Alyami, executive director of the Saudi Center for Democracy and Human Rights, said the Saudi ruling family's extravagant investment in sports is meant to divert the world's attention away from religious extremism and gross violations of basic human rights.
But even despite these concerns, the NFL's ambitions extend beyond any single event or country. The exhibition in Riyadh is not just one football evening in the desert; it's part of a long-term effort to transform the uniquely American game into a truly global sport.
And with flag football about to enter the Olympics, the stakes are much higher than just one performance. For the league, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic could mark the beginning of a new chapter – one in which flag football becomes a global phenomenon and the future of the NFL is no longer limited to American shores and a few international games during the regular season.
“This will be a true treat for soccer fans around the world and introduce a whole new audience to America’s most popular game,” said Michael D. Ratner, founder and CEO of OBB Media, in a press release. “Flag football is the fastest growing sport in the world, and with [Olympics 2028] on the horizon, it's time to demonstrate it on the world stage.”
