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The National Football League is making a significant move to raise its global profile after years of struggling to expand beyond its domestic roots.
The league announced last week that the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, headlined by seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, will take place on 21 March 2026, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The showcase event is expected to serve as a major lead-in to flag football’s debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where the NFL hopes the sport’s inclusion will accelerate its growth worldwide.
Produced by OBB Media and Fanatics, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic will feature a round-robin tournament with three teams composed 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 connects fans of all ages, and it’s awesome to be able to showcase the sport on such a global stage while joining together so many incredibly skilled athletes,” Brady said in a press release.
Organizers said additional participants from other sports and the entertainment industry will be announced later. The event will feature three teams of eight players facing off in a round-robin tournament, with the top two advancing to a championship game. It will air live on FOX Sports and Tubi, with actor and comedian Kevin Hart serving as host.
Garrett, one of the NFL’s premier defensive players, said his decision to participate stems from a desire to help expand the game’s reach.
“Just like every other sport has grown worldwide, we want to make [American football] the world’s game,” Garrett told the Guardian. “We’re proud to be ambassadors for this beautiful 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 bring major events and athletes to the kingdom. Its push has included the launch of LIV Golf in 2022, lucrative deals to attract some of the world’s top soccer players, and high-profile boxing matches – all part of a broader effort to reshape its global image through sports.
There was hesitation by many athletes then to participate, and Saudi Arabia faced intense criticism in 2022 when it launched LIV Golf, a rival league to the PGA Tour backed by its sovereign wealth fund. Now the PGA and LIV 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 should take that into account and find a way to make yourself different and still appealing. We’re trying to do that. We still love the game here, but we want to see it grow and find new areas of talent.”
For Garrett, it’s another chance to showcase his sport on a global stage. But for critics, it’s part of a much bigger 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 “sportswashing” – using high-profile sports investments to improve its global image and divert attention from a record of human rights abuses, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the suppression of dissent, and ongoing restrictions on women’s rights and LGBTQ+ individuals.
“When high-profile athletes or celebrities participate, it sends signals to global audiences that Saudi Arabia is a ‘regular’ host of major sporting events,” said Nadyeen Abdulaziz, monitoring and advocacy officer for ALQST for Human Rights. “This can dilute critical attention to the kingdom’s human rights record and shift the narrative toward economic opportunity, tourism, or entertainment, effectively softening the impact of prior critiques.”
Ali Alyami, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, said the Saudi ruling family’s extravagant investment in sports is designed to divert global attention from its religious extremism and gross violations of basic human rights.
Yet even amid those concerns, the NFL’s ambitions stretch beyond any single event or country. The Riyadh showcase isn’t just about one night of football in the desert; it’s part of a long-term push to transform a uniquely American game into a truly global sport.
And with flag football poised to enter the Olympics, the stakes are far larger than a single exhibition. For the league, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic could mark the start of a new chapter – one where flag football becomes a global phenomenon and the NFL’s future is no longer confined to American shores and a handful of international games during the regular season.
“This will be the ultimate celebration for football fans everywhere and introduce a whole new audience to America’s most popular game,” said Michael D Ratner, OBB Media Founder and CEO, in a press release. “Flag football is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and with [Olympics 2028] on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be better to showcase it on a global stage.”
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The NFL did not respond to a request for comment.
