HE Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, announced that global music star Travis Scott will perform at the upcoming Fanatics Flag Football Classic. The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh as part of Riyadh Season. The announcement was made through a video shared on Alalshikh's official Instagram account featuring NFL legend Tom Brady, who revealed Scott's participation.
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic represents an unprecedented global flag football event that combines high-energy competition with entertainment in a single night. The tournament will feature Tom Brady in his first official return to the field since his 2023 retirement, marking a significant moment for football fans worldwide. The event will be broadcast live on FOX Sports and streamed on Tubi, ensuring global accessibility to what organizers describe as a world-class experience.
In addition to the musical performance announcement, the video revealed the tournament's second team captain, Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, and introduced the three participating teams for the inaugural edition: Wildcats, Founders, and Mustangs. These teams will feature leading figures from both sports and entertainment, creating a unique crossover event that appeals to diverse audiences.
The event's placement within Riyadh Season, now in its sixth edition, underscores Saudi Arabia's strategic focus on developing its entertainment sector and positioning Riyadh as a leading global destination for major events. Riyadh Season has established itself as a platform for world-class experiences that blend sports and entertainment, offering diverse content that attracts visitors from within the Kingdom and internationally.
The inclusion of Travis Scott, a global music phenomenon, alongside football icons like Tom Brady represents a significant entertainment investment that reflects the rapid growth of Saudi Arabia's entertainment landscape. This combination of elite athletic competition and top-tier musical performance creates a comprehensive entertainment package that could set new standards for international sporting events.
The expanding scale of international events hosted in Saudi Arabia's capital demonstrates the country's increasing influence in global entertainment and sports markets. The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, with its unique format and star-studded lineup, contributes to this trend while potentially introducing flag football to new international audiences through its global broadcast reach.
For the sports industry, the event represents an innovative approach to football presentation that merges athletic competition with entertainment spectacle. The participation of recently retired legend Tom Brady alongside current NFL star Jayden Daniels creates generational appeal, while the flag football format offers a faster-paced, potentially more accessible version of the sport for international viewers.
The global broadcast arrangement through FOX Sports and streaming via Tubi ensures widespread distribution, potentially introducing Saudi Arabia's entertainment offerings to new international audiences. This visibility supports the Kingdom's broader economic diversification efforts under Vision 2030, which includes developing the entertainment sector as a key component of the national transformation strategy.
