Fanatics Flag Football Classic

Fanatics Flag Football Classic
Tournament information
SportFlag football
LocationLos Angeles, California
DateMarch 21, 2026
Tournament
format
Round-robin
HostFanatics
VenueBMO Stadium
Teams3
Final positions
ChampionsTeam USA
Runner-upWildcats FFC
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
MVPDarrell Doucette

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic was a five-on-five flag football tournament featuring National Football League (NFL) players, members of the United States men's national flag football team, and celebrity guests. The exhibition was held on March 21, 2026, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and was organized in part to promote flag football at the Summer Olympics ahead of its debut at the 2028 Games.

The event was originally set to be held in Riyadh, which drew criticism from various sources over Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record and allegations of sportwashing.[1][2][3][4] It was later moved to Los Angeles due to the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war. The event featured three teams, with the U.S. national team winning the round-robin tournament led by team captain and tournament MVP Darrell Doucette.

Background

On September 15, 2025, a five-on-five flag football tournament called the Fanatics Flag Football Classic was announced as a partnership between Tom Brady, Fanatics, Inc., Fox Sports, and OBB Media. It was originally scheduled for March 21, 2026, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season, comprising three teams of eight current and former NFL players (including Brady) facing off in a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to a championship game. It was announced that it would be played under Olympic-style flag football rules, using a 50-yard field with two 10-yard end zones and two 20-minute halves, and that it would air on Fox Sports and Tubi with Kevin Hart as host.[5][6]

The day after the official announcement, the NFL confirmed to ProFootballTalk that the tournament was "not a league initiative."[7] On September 20, the league sent out a memo to all 32 teams, reiterating that it was "not an NFL-sanctioned event" and, therefore, not subject to the protections of the NFL collective bargaining agreement in the event of an injury.[8]

At an event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, in January 2026, Brady revealed the named of the three teams – Founders, Wildcats, and Mustangs – along with their respective jerseys. He was joined onstage by Jayden Daniels, who was announced as the Wildcats captain. It was also revealed that the event would feature a performance from rapper Travis Scott.[9][10]

On March 6, 2026, it was announced that the event would be relocated to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles due to the ongoing 2026 Iran war affecting Saudi Arabia, with the date to be determined.[11] Three days later, a revamped format with three 12-player teams was announced. Two teams would be composed of current and former NFL players along with non-NFL athletes, while the third represented by the United States men's national flag football team. The Olympic rules were slightly modified, moving to 15-minute halves with a running clock on a 50-by-25-yard field, and the original date of March 21 was reinstated.[12][13]

Teams

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic featured three 12-player teams. Brady and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts served as co-captains of the Founders FFC, coached by Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels co-captained the Wildcats FFC, coached by Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers. Additionally, Robert Saleh of the Tennessee Titans assisted both squads as a defensive specialist. Both teams filled out their rosters via a player draft on March 18, picking from a pool of 24 athletes. The third team was represented by the United States men's national flag football team, co-captained by Aamir Brown and Darrell Doucette and coached by Jorge Cascudo.[12][13] The full list of participants was released on March 10, 2026.[14]

Player draft

Team Captains Head coach
Founders FFC Tom Brady
Jalen Hurts		 Sean Payton
Wildcats FFC Joe Burrow
Jayden Daniels		 Kyle Shanahan
Team USA Aamir Brown
Darrell Doucette		 Jorge Cascudo
Draft pool
Running backs Wide receivers / tight ends Linebackers / defensive backs Non-NFL players
Saquon Barkley
Ashton Jeanty
Alvin Kamara		 Davante Adams
Odell Beckham Jr.
Stefon Diggs
Rob Gronkowski
DeAndre Hopkins
Kyle Juszczyk
Deebo Samuel[a]
DeVonta Smith		 Myles Garrett[a]
Derwin James
Luke Kuechly
Tyrann Mathieu
Von Miller
Jalen Ramsey		 Terence Crawford
Logan Paul
IShowSpeed

Rosters

Founders FFC
Wildcats FFC
Team USA

Source:[15]

Games

March 21
Round-robin		 Team USA United States 39–14 Wildcats FFC BMO Stadium,
Los Angeles, California
March 21
Round-robin		 Team USA United States 43–16 Founders FFC BMO Stadium,
Los Angeles, California
March 21
Round-robin		 Wildcats FFC 34–26 Founders FFC BMO Stadium,
Los Angeles, California
March 21
Championship		 Team USA United States 24–14 Wildcats FFC BMO Stadium,
Los Angeles, California

Sources:[16][17]

Darrell Doucette of Team USA was named the tournament's MVP

Team USA won all three of its games at the tournament, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 106–44.[18] Team USA quarterback Darrell Doucette was named the tournament MVP after completing all eight of his passes for 67 yards and three touchdowns, rushing six times for 76 yards and three touchdowns, and catching five passes for 79 yards.[18] Team USA's other quarterback, Nico Casares, completed 24 of 27 passes for 332 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions.[18]

Wildcats FFC quarterback Joe Burrow completed 30 of 41 passes for 196 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick-six, with co-captain Jayden Daniels throwing two touchdowns.[18][19] Founders FFC quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 17 of 26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for one touchdown, catching one touchdown, and throwing a pick-six.[18] The Founders' other quarterback, Tom Brady, completed eight of 12 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns while also catching one pass for nine yards.[18]

Reaction

There was some surprise about how the relatively unknown Team USA flag football players were able to dominate teams composed of current and former NFL stars.[18] The Athletic noted that the NFL players "struggled with the rules and with pulling flags." They also said that "Rugged defenders such as linebacker Luke Kuechly and Von Miller were helpless against America’s slithery playmakers."[18] Kuechly said "Their skill set was very different than anything we’ve ever seen in the NFL. The speed, the quickness, the ability to create space — our inability to put our hands on those guys made the game very difficult."[18]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Announced as a participant but not drafted
  2. 1 2 3 4 Added as a late replacement
  3. ↑ Withdrew due to injury

References

  1. ↑ Paez-Pumar, Luis (September 16, 2025). "Tom Brady Adds Sportswashing To His Impressive Résumé". Defector. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  2. ↑ Austin, Ahmad Jr. (September 17, 2025). "Sports Podcaster Goes OFF on 'Embarrassing' US Leagues Partnering With Saudi Arabia". Mediaite. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  3. ↑ Wright, Branson (October 15, 2025). "NFL bets big on Saudi Arabia with Tom Brady-led flag football showcase". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ Kurup, Sahil (October 17, 2025). "NFL fans furious at idea of league playing game in Saudi Arabia — 'I'm out'". Daily Mirror. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Tom Brady, Fanatics, Riyadh Season, FOX Sports and OBB Media Announce Groundbreaking Inaugural Flag Football Event" (Press release). Fanatics, Inc. September 15, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  6. ↑ Williams, Eric (September 15, 2025). "Fanatics Flag Football Classic: 5 Things to Know as Tom Brady Returns to Football". Fox Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  7. ↑ Florio, Mike (September 16, 2025). "NFL: Saudi Arabian flag-football tournament is not a league initiative". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  8. ↑ Florio, Mike (September 19, 2025). "NFL reminds teams of CBA rules regarding Saudi Arabian flag football". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ Jhabvala, Nicki (January 14, 2026). "Jayden Daniels to join Tom Brady in Fanatics flag football event in Saudi Arabia". The Athletic. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ Smith, Chris (January 14, 2026). "Tom Brady reveals new details for Fanatics Flag Football Classic". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ Holder, Larry; Russini, Dianna (March 6, 2026). "Tom Brady, Fanatics flag football event moving from Saudi Arabia to L.A. due to war: Sources". The Athletic. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Schilken, Chuck (March 9, 2026). "Flag football event featuring Tom Brady moved to BMO Stadium from Saudi Arabia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Holder, Larry (March 9, 2026). "Current and former NFL stars to face Team USA in revamped Fanatics Flag Football Classic". The Athletic. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Fanatics Flag Football Classic Announces More Star Power with Additional NFL Players and World Class Athletes Set to Compete on March 21 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles" (Press release). Fanatics, Inc. March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  15. ↑ Florio, Mike (March 19, 2026). "Rosters are set for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Fanatics Flag Football Classic". USA Football. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Team USA defeats Wildcats FFC in Fanatics Flag Football Classic". NFL.com. National Football League. March 21, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Graham, Tim & Tafur, Vic (March 22, 2026). "Team USA flag football squad trounces 2 teams of NFL stars". The Athletic. Retrieved 22 March 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Sullivan, Tyler (March 21, 2026). "Fanatics Flag Football Classic: Team USA dominates Tom Brady, Joe Burrow and other NFL stars". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
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