The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, Tom Brady’s inaugural flag football tournament, was meant to create history in the Middle East. However, that plan has been marred by the conflict situation. With events beyond anyone’s control reshaping the landscape, the tournament is taking a major detour and returning to familiar territory.

“The Fanatics Flag Football Classic featuring Tom Brady and other stars is being moved from Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles, with the likely location being BMO Stadium, which is set to hold flag football in the 2028 Olympics,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on March 6.

The event was originally scheduled for March 21, 2026, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was a part of the highly anticipated Riyadh Season entertainment festival. However, escalating tensions in the Middle East have forced the event to be relocated.

The event is produced by OBB Media and Fanatics, and the format remains unchanged despite the relocation. Three teams of eight players each will compete in a round-robin tournament, where each team faces the other two. The top two teams from there then advance to a championship game.

The move to BMO Stadium makes sense. The stadium is slated to host flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That will mark the first time the sport appears at the Olympic Games. Fittingly, the event will follow the same Olympic-style rules that the sport will use in LA 28.

The Games will be played on a 50-yard field with two 10-yard end zones. It will be in a 5-on-5 format, across two 20-minute halves. Hosting the Classic at BMO Stadium two years before the Olympics essentially turns this into a preview of what the world will watch in the summer of ’28.

The event is star-studded and is bound to attract viewership. Leading the charge is TB12 himself, returning to a football field for the first time since his retirement in 2023. Joining him are some of the most recognizable names in the NFL today, including Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Sauce Gardner, Maxx Crosby, and Tyreek Hill, among others, per Front Office Sports.

Rapoport also confirmed that Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Shanahan will also attend the games, with Shanahan leading one of the teams as the coach. Apart from him, Pete Carroll and Sean Payton will be the other two coaches. 

The original decision to stage the event in Saudi Arabia was rooted in the NFL’s broader push to expand its global footprint, much like how the league had taken regular-season games to São Paulo, Dublin, and London. 

So, the flag football showcase in Riyadh was meant to plant a flag in a new market. But Brady’s excitement to get back on the field has never been in question, regardless of where the event lands.

Tom Brady is coming out of retirement, and he wants the trophy

Flag football is no longer a backyard pastime. According to NFL.com, as of 2024, more than 20 million people play the sport across six continents, making it one of the fastest-growing sports. When the Classic was announced in September 2025, it was a direct response to that momentum. And Brady, for his part, made clear he was not showing up just to participate.

“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the field, get the competitive juices flowing alongside some of the game’s brightest stars and iconic legends,” Brady said at the time of the announcement. “I have always admired the power of flag football and how it connects fans of all ages…and I will be bringing home the trophy.”

​Part of what makes flag football such a compelling vehicle for that kind of enthusiasm is the sport’s inherent accessibility. Because it is non-contact, the injury risk drops significantly compared to traditional football. That opens the game to players of all ages, all genders, and all athletic backgrounds. Brady himself previously said the flag football showcase would be “way better” than the Pro Bowl.

The relocation from Riyadh to LA deals a blow to the NFL’s international expansion efforts. But the show will go on. The Fanatics Flag Football Classic will still air live on FOX Sports and stream worldwide on Tubi, with comedian and television personality Kevin Hart serving as host.