NFL Pro Bowl Games 2026 Rules and Format for Skills Challenge, Flag Football

Super Bowl Week has officially arrived, and the lead-up to Super Bowl LX will be filled with fun, fan-friendly events. The 2026 Pro Bowl Games will be part of the festivities and will be held on Tuesday at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara, California, will host Super Bowl LX on Sunday.

While some NFL fans may still be familiar with the Pro Bowl game itself, the all-star event has taken on a different form in recent years—and will feature a non-contact football game for the fourth straight time.

Fans won't get to see their favorite stars going head-to-head in something resembling a real NFL game, but they will be treated to an exciting series of skills challenges and a 7-on-7 flag football game.

Here's a look at what's in store.

2026 Pro Bowl Games

AP Photo/John Raoux, File

Cardinals TE Trey McBride celebrates a touchdown during the 2025 Pro Bowl Games

Where: Moscone Center in San Francisco

When: Tuesday, February 2

Flag Football Game Time: 8 p.m. ET

Coverage Begins: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN, Disney XD, ESPN Deportes,

Live Stream: ESPN app

Roster Updates

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Images for the NFL

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts at the 2024 Pro Bowl Games

While being elected to the Pro Bowl has long been an NFL honor, it's worth noting that not every invitee will participate. The all-star exhibition used to be played after the Super Bowl and often featured the big game's participants, but that is no longer the case.

The Pro Bowl also used to include a trip to Hawai'i, which was a big draw for many players.

Super Bowl participants no longer take part in the Pro Bowl Games, and several other players opt out every year due to injuries and other reasons. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, for example, simply wanted to take a break from football before deciding how the next stage of his career should look.

"Just being a human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so," Kelce said on his New Heights podcast (h/t Parker Johnson of Yahoo Sports).

Several replacement players were recently added to the rosters, including quarterbacks Joe Flacco, Jalen Hurts, and Shedeur Sanders. Wideout CeeDee Lamb, tight end Dalton Kincaid, tight end Tyler Warren, cornerback Kamari Lassiter, linebacker Devin Lloyd, and safety Calen Bullock are also among the list of alternates.

Stars like Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Ja'Marr Chase, and Puka Nacua are expected to participate.

Fully updated rosters for both the AFC and NFC can be found at NFL.com.

Preview

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Images for NFL

Micah Parsons and Patrick Queen compete in an obstacle course during the NFL Pro Bowl Games, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025

According to ESPN, programming for the Pro Bowl Games will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET with games set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET. However, it's unclear how the overall event will be structured. Few details have been released about this year's skills competition, though it is expected to be part of the competition.

From the Cincinnati Bengals' official website:

"The Pro Bowl Games will feature teams from the AFC and the NFC competing in a 7-on-7 flag football showdown. There will also be skills challenges like years past, with more information on the specific challenges still to be announced."

Last year's Pro Bowl Games featured events like dodgeball, a relay race, tug-of-war, and Passing the Test—a competition in which quarterbacks "try to hit targets at various distances around the field worth different point values in 40 seconds."

Points were awarded for the winners of each event and added to the points scored in the flag football game.

We know the flag game will headline this year's Pro Bowl Games. That shouldn't come as a surprise, as the NFL has been hyping flag football, which will make its Olympic debut in 2028.

In fact, flag football will be highlighted throughout Super Bowl Week, with events like the 2026 NFL Flag International Championship, the NFL Flag Girls High School Showcase, the USA vs. Mexico Flag Football Showcase, and the Pro Bowl Games flag game.

From NFL Operations:

"Flag football will take center stage during Super Bowl LX week in the San Francisco Bay Area, celebrating the sport's explosive growth and global reach ahead of its Olympic debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles."

Though the NFL hasn't officially announced the rules for the Pro Bowl flag game, we can expect them to closely mirror the official NFL Flag Football rules. The 7-on-7 variant will involve no tackling (obviously), no QB runs, a maximum of two dedicated pass-rushers, a seven-second QB clock, and no backward passes beyond the line of scrimmage.

A touchdown is worth six points, while teams can attempt a one-point try from the 5-yard line or a two-point try from the 10-yard line after a touchdown.

According to Sporting News, the 2026 Pro Bowl flag game will also feature:

• Two 20-minute halves
• A running clock up until the two-minute warning
• A 50-yard playing field

Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (NFC) and Steve Young (AFC) are slated to coach the teams during Tuesday's flag game. Per NFL Operations, the game itself is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET