NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday during the league’s annual fall owners meeting in New York that they will be shifting the 2026 Pro Bowl Games — featuring its signature flag football showdown — to take place during Super Bowl week. In previous years the Pro Bowl was traditionally held the Sunday before the Super Bowl, and has also been held in Orlando in the last few years.
Goodell said: “We’ve spent a lot of time evolving our Pro Bowl, talking about how to make our Pro Bowl more attractive, both for our players participating but also our fans. We spent a great deal of time talking about the objectives, and the objectives really are to celebrate and honor our incredible players, and second is to use our game as a global platform.”
The upcoming AFC vs. NFC flag football contest is scheduled for February 3 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Fans can tune in to watch the game live at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, Disney XD, and ESPN Deportes. Super Bowl LX will follow just days later on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein reported that the goal is for fans who are traveling for the Super Bowl to be able to join in on the Pro Bowl festivities and star-studded exhibition as well. Peyton and Eli Manning, who served as coaches for last year’s Pro Bowl games, will remain involved, but there will be two new coaches for the AFC and NFC.
According to the league, the Pro Bowl’s flag football format offers fans a glimpse of what’s to come when the sport debuts at the 2028 Summer Olympics, where NFL players will have the chance to represent their home countries. NFL executive vice president of events Peter O’Reilly said in a statement: “Building on our strong partnerships with the Bay Area Host Committee and ESPN, we’re thrilled to make the 2026 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon part of Super Bowl week, our biggest platform of the year, elevating flag football and our best players in a way that’s never been done before. The Pro Bowl Games will not only be an exciting showcase of our best talent, but also a taste of the elite athleticism and dynamic action we can expect to see on the Olympic stage.”
ESPN will kick off its coverage with a special preview on Sunday, February 1, airing an NFL Live segment at 11 a.m., followed by additional programming at noon on ABC. ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said: “We are dedicated to making the Pro Bowl Games a prime-time television event that will enhance Super Bowl week. Our shared vision focuses on using a production approach that spotlights the world’s best players in a manner unique to the Pro Bowl Games format, while highlighting flag football and its emergence on the global sports landscape.”
Voting for the 2026 Pro Bowl will open on November 27.
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