Tom Brady has retired three times to play in his first flag football tournament.
On Monday, September 15th, it was announced that Brady, Fanatic, Fox Sports and OBB Media, a global flag football event held at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be working together to host the Francian Flag Football Classic as part of this year’s Riyadh season.
According to a press release, the event, scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2026, will feature three teams of eight players competing in the round robin tournament, with the top two teams entering the championship match.
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Each game follows the Olympic-style flag football rules and plays on a 50-yard field with two 10-yard end zones, a 5-on-5 format and two 20-minute halves.
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Each team marks Brady’s first official return since his second retirement in 2023, consisting of current and past soccer stars, past soccer stars and past soccer stars.
In addition to Brady, other confirmed players include Rob Gronkowski, Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Ceedee Lamb, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby.
The tournament will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and streamed on Tubi, hosted by Kevin Hart and coached by Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan.
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Details including additional participants and special programming will be announced in the coming months.
During the press conference, Brady said, “We couldn’t be more excited to return to the field and pour competitive juice alongside some of the game’s brightest stars and iconic legends, bringing fans a truly unique global sporting event during Riyadh season.”
NFL legend added that he has always “admired the power of flag football and the way it brings together fans of all ages.”
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“It’s great to be able to showcase the sport on such a global stage, bringing together so many incredibly skilled athletes,” he added. “I look forward to showing off fierce competition with my team at Turki Alalshikh, Fanatics, OBB Media, my team at Shadow Lion, my friends at Fox Sports, and I’m taking home the trophy.”
Brady began his NFL career when the New England Patriots chose him in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
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He led the Patriots to the championship with the then-standing St. Louis Rams at the 2002 Super Bowl. Brady won five more championships in the franchise, then his seventh and final Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers.
