The San Francisco 49ers will be strongly represented at next year's Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alongside head coach Kyle Shanahan and star running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner are now confirmed participants in the high-profile international event, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
49ers now have confirmed three players for the flag football game in Saudi Arabia: Christian McCaffery, George Kittle and Fred Warner. This brings the total so far to 10 players confirmed from seven different teams. Also, the event producers have same insurance that is used for… https://t.co/rcxlgXdgGv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2025
The tournament kicks off on March 21, 2026, featuring three teams coached by Shanahan, Pete Carroll, and Sean Payton.
Other marquee names already announced include Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner, Brock Bowers, Tyreek Hill, and Myles Garrett. Former NFL icons Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are also set to take the field, adding even more star power to the event.
During a recent radio interview, Shanahan revealed that Brady personally invited him to coach in the event.
"He (Tom Brady) just randomly asked me a couple of weeks ago," Shanahan said. "And he said it was at the end of March. It should be good. That should work out on our calendar. It's only for, like, three days. I never thought I'd ever go to Saudi Arabia, so when he told me, it just sounded really cool. It sounded fun.
"I get to bring my wife. We all get to go down there together, and it's not going to be too long, but it sounded like a real good experience. So, as long as it doesn't mess with anything with our schedule here, I was flattered that he asked, and looking forward to getting a chance to do something like that."
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic will be played under Olympic flag football rules, with 5-on-5 games on a 50-yard field and two 20-minute halves.
The event highlights flag football's surging popularity, especially with the sport set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
The NFL reportedly sent a memo on Friday reminding teams that the league does not officially sanction the Classic. Any injuries sustained during the event would be categorized as "non-football injuries," meaning teams would not receive roster relief if a player is hurt.