Saudi Arabia’s inevitable football play has begun.
It’s beginning with a March 2026 flag football tournament, headlined by Tom Brady.
During Fox NFL Sunday, Brady teased a “great announcement” to come on Monday. And the announcement is that Brady will headline a flag football classic that will consist of a three-team round robin tournament, to be televised by Fox. (Whether that counts as a “great” announcement is in the eye of the beholder.)
Other players (per the announcement) will include Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., and Rob Gronkowski — along with “stars across sports and entertainment.” Serving as coaches will be “Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan.”
Technically, the teams employing any active NFL players have the contractual right to shut down other football activities, given the inherent risk of injury. Presumably, the teams of the players who will participate in the event have given their blessing. The league will want them to, given the league’s current emphasis on promoting flag football anywhere and everywhere.
And let’s not be naive. Some big checks definitely will be cut, starting with the biggest of all, made payable to Thomas J. Brady.
The real question is whether this is the endgame for Saudi Arabia, or just the starting point. Ever since the country with massive wealth started to buy its way into American sports, many have wondered if/when it will turn its attention to tackle football.
The fact that Saudi Arabia is setting up an unprecedented flag football does not feel like the main course of whatever pigskin ambitions Saudi Arabia may have. It feels like only the appetizer.
