By Matt Hardy

Copyright cityam

NFL legend Tom Brady will return to the football field after signing a deal to appear in the 2026 edition of Riyadh Season.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion and co-owner of English Championship side Birmingham City will join forces with Turki Alalshikh, digital sports platform Fanatics, OBB Media and Fox Sports to produce a flag football tournament.

“The Fanatics Flag Football Classic” will take place next March in Saudi Arabia, and form part of next year’s Riyadh Season offering – which is usually fronted by major boxing bouts.

It is the latest innovation to find itself on the Arabian Peninsula, while WrestleMania will leave the United States for the first time in 2027 to put on its annual show in the Saudi kingdom.

Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, albeit from a low participation base, and will be one of five new sports at the next Olympic Games, to be staged in Los Angeles on the United States’ west coast.

Brady ready to play

Brady said he is ready to “get the competitive juices flowing alongside some of the game’s brightest stars and iconic legends”, adding that he is looking forward to bringing “a truly unique global sports event to fans everywhere during Riyadh Season”.

Alalshikh, the man behind Riyadh Season, added: “We are pleased to be playing our part in supporting flag football’s continued growth and using the platform of Riyadh Season to bring the game to a new and wider audience around the world.”

Brady will be joined by the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner and Saquon Barkley as a flock of current and former NFL players take up the opportunity to play flag football in the middle east.

Kevin Hart of Ride Along fame will host the Fox broadcast, while the comedian has previously appeared on “The Roast of Tom Brady” with the former quarterback.