In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, American football is headed to Saudi Arabia, and two key members of the San Francisco 49ers are slated to be a big part of it.
Some of the biggest names in the NFL are set to head to Riyadh next year to take part in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. Seven-time Super Bowl winner and current Fox Sports announcer Tom Brady is “coming out of retirement” for the event, ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on social media, and he’ll reportedly be joined by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and star running back Christian McCaffrey.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
The tournament is scheduled for March 21, 2026 — just a month after the Super Bowl kicks off in Santa Clara.
Fanatics, a sports apparel company that’s no stranger to controversy, is sponsoring the three-team round robin tournament. Flag football, a noncontact version of the sport set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, has grown in popularity in recent years.
In addition to Brady and McCaffrey, Rob Gronkowski, Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill and Odell Beckham Jr. are expected to take part. Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders and Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos are due to join Shanahan as team head coaches.
For a sport that has a history of looking the other way on domestic violence, racist mascots and traumatic brain injuries, it was only a matter of time until football cashed in on Saudi Arabia’s many billions. The country has invested more and more heavily in Western sports leagues in recent years. From LIV Golf to top-dollar soccer contracts to a potential NBA rival, a number of major sports figures have shown a willingness to accept massive payments from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund despite the country’s record of human rights abuses.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Now two key members of the San Francisco 49ers, and the Bay Area-raised greatest player in NFL history, are primed to get in on the action.