Tom Brady leads NFL to Saudi Arabia for flag football face-off

The NFL is coming to Saudi Arabia. After sinking billions into soccer, golf, tennis and mixed martial arts, the kingdom is taking tentative steps into the realm of American football.

In an initial move, retired superstar quarterback Tom Brady will play alongside current and former NFL stars in a three-team tournament next March. Brady is partnering with Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, to promote the event, the Associated Press reports.

Don’t expect the helmets, shoulder pads and ferocious tackles that rouse the crowds each Sunday across the U.S. Instead, the competition will be comparatively genteel with a flag football variation of the game taking the place of the bone-crunching sport at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic on March 21 will include star players Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys and Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. Though the league’s players are participating, the NFL itself is not an official sponsor of the tournament, which will also take place in 2027 and 2028.

In flag football, which will be played for the first time at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, teams must remove a streamer, or flag, from the ball carriers instead of tackling them.

“It’s a multi-year commitment,” Brady said at a press conference in Las Vegas on Monday. “Obviously, we’re getting off to a good start. The first year will be kind of where everyone’s attention and energy is at.”