YouTube and the NFL’s second annual Super Bowl Creator Flag Football game delivered over 14 million live views, TheWrap has exclusively learned. That’s more than double the viewership the game saw in 2025, a year that saw 6 million live views.
The flag football game took place last Saturday, the day before Super Bowl LX, and was livestreamed on the NFL’s YouTube channel. It was also simulcast via livestream on some of the participating players’ YouTube channels. Global superstar J Balvin and viral comedian Druski took the field as this year’s team captains with Cam Newton (1.8 million YouTube subscribers) and Michael Vick playing as quarterbacks for the game. Major athletes, celebrities and creators such as flag football stars Diana Flores, Grammy nominee Benson Boone and YouTuber Deestroying (6.4 million YouTube subscribers) made up J Balvin and Druski’s teams.
Heading into the game, Angela Courtin, YouTube’s global head of brand marketing, knew it would be widely watched. YouTube and the NFL’s previous two creator flag football games proved that pairing creators, athletes and celebrities with the audience’s growing interest in both flag football and the game around the Big Game was a winning combination. But viewership of the matchup outperformed even her expectations.
“This natural nexus is really entertaining,” Courtin told TheWrap. “The one thing that felt different this year is we had a lot more artists like J Balvin and Benson Boone and this crossover of Marlon Garcia from the NBA. So creators see this as a really fun way to celebrate Super Bowl weekend through something that is uniquely YouTube and that resonates with their fans.”
Though YouTube did not disclose the demographic breakdown of the creator game, a representative for the company noted that the audience was young and diverse and that the game was watched globally. That’s important considering that the NFL has made a concentrated effort to court the next generation of football fans and to bring the sport outside of America.
“The incredible response to this year’s Super Bowl Flag Football Game shows just how excited young fans are to watch their favorite creators and artists go head‑to‑head in this format,” Ian Trombetta, global senior vice president of social, creator and content marketing for the NFL, told TheWrap. “With over 14 million live viewers and massive engagement on YouTube, creators are opening the door for new fans everywhere — bringing fresh energy to the game and turning flag football into a can’t miss experience the night before the Super Bowl. We’re already beginning to think about our plans for next year and can’t wait for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.”
The flag football game is the latest collaboration between YouTube and the NFL. Ever since YouTube acquired NFL’s Sunday Ticket package in 2023, the two companies have shared a fruitful partnership. In 2025 alone, NFL-related videos on YouTube amassed over 20 billion views.
It’s also far from the last flag football matchup planned between these two companies. YouTube previously signed a three-year deal with the NFL, which means that creator flag football games are planned for the next two Super Bowls. And, after the success of October’s London game, Courtin noted that the two companies are planning their next international game, which they’ll be announcing “soon.”
“The NFL has done such a great job expanding football content beyond the season,” she said. “I can see us looking to maybe fill some gaps or partner with the NFL around some of their big events, like the draft or schedule release.”
In the games to come, Courtin is interested in bringing in more international and local creators. She’s also interested in finding ways to further transform these games into must-watch events, pointing out changes like adding team jerseys this year. “That partnership is something we should be exploring in terms of how to expand.”
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