49ers’ George Kittle, Warner Reportedly to Join CMC for Fanatics Flag Football Classic

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner plan to join teammate Christian McCaffrey for Fanatics’ flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia next March, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday.

Other confirmed participants in the tournament include Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner, Brock Bowers, Tyreek Hill and Myles Garrett, according to a Fanatics press release. Former NFL stars Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are also slated to participate.

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic is set to take place on March 21, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Kittle, Warner and McCaffrey will be joining head coach Kyle Shanahan in Saudi Arabia. Shanahan is slated to join the Las Vegas Raiders’ Pete Carroll and Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton in coaching the three teams involved in the tournament.

Schefter’s latest update as to player participation comes on the heels of a league memo sent out Friday that reminded teams Fanatics’ event has not been sanctioned by the NFL, according to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio.

“The Event is not an NFL-sanctioned event and the league has no role in the organization or production of the game,” the NFL’s memo to teams read, per Florio. “This Event is not covered by the resolution to permit NFL Players to participate in Olympic Flag Football.”

The NFL went on to tell teams that any injuries suffered during the event would be considered a non-football injury, and that “there will be no roster relief or other measures taken to mitigate the loss of a player to his Club should the player sustain an injury while participating in the Event.”

Schefter wrote Friday that “the event producers have same insurance that is used for the Pro Bowl, Olympics and other sports events involving active players that insure players and teams from losses from any potential injuries sustained during competition.”

The NFL also reminded teams in Friday’s memo that each franchise is allowed to dictate whether its players may participate in the tournament.

The 49ers have joined the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders as teams that have seemingly approved their players’ participation.

The tournament will follow Olympic flag football rules, with 5-on-5 competition played on a 50-yard field through two 20-minute halves, per Fanatics. Each roster will feature “a balanced mix of athletes and entertainers,” according to the brand.

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