Tom Brady is coming out of retirement for a third time to play in an inaugural flag football tournament.
On Monday, Sept. 15, it was announced that Brady, Fanatics, Fox Sports, and OBB Media have teamed up to put on the Fanatics Flag Football Classic — a global flag football event scheduled to take place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 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 a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to a championship match.
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Each game will follow Olympic-style flag football rules, played on a 50-yard field with two 10-yard end zones, a 5-on-5 format, and two 20-minute halves.
Each team will be made up of current and past football stars, as well as world-class athletes, marking Brady’s first official return to the field since his second retirement in 2023.
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, with Kevin Hart hosting, and Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, and Kyle Shanahan serving as coaches.
Further details, including additional participants and special programming, will be announced in the coming months.
In a press statement, Brady said he “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, and bring a truly unique global sports event to fans everywhere during Riyadh Season.”
The NFL legend added that he has always “admired the power of flag football and how it connects fans of all ages.”
“It’s awesome to be able to showcase the sport on such a global stage while joining together so many incredibly skilled athletes,” he added. “I’m looking forward to partnering with Turki Alalshikh, Fanatics, OBB Media, my team at Shadow Lion and my friends at FOX Sports to showcase some fierce competition. And I will be bringing home the trophy.”
Brady began his NFL career when the New England Patriots selected him in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
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He led the Patriots to a championship against the then-St. Louis Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl. Brady went on to win five more championships with the franchise before winning his seventh and final Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers .
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