NFL, MLB Unveil 9/11 25th Memorial Tributes, Activation, Remembrances
Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 02:43PM By Barry Janoff
Photo: 9/11 MuseumSeptember 4, 2026: To coincide with the start of the regular season, the NFL and its 32 clubs will honor the 25th memorial of September 11, 2001, through a series of commemorative efforts in communities across the globe.
MLB — led by the New York Yankees and New York Mets — is also planning a series of events for 9/11 2026.
NFL clubs will participate through in-stadium moments, broadcast integrations – including live national anthem coverage (across 1 PM ET games) – and community engagement efforts throughout the week.
That includes the NFL’s first regular season game in Australia in its history, with pregame ceremonies before the Los Angeles Rams and and San Francisco 49ers take the field (Sept. 10 in the U.S., Sept. 11 in Australis) honoring the 25th memorial of 9/11 with U.S. and Australian color guards and large-field flag presentations featuring U.S. Marines, Navy personnel and Australian service members.
Through its Salute to Service partnership with TAPS — which provides a supportive community to families who have lost a military loved one — the NFL Foundation will also support weeklong activities for military families of the fallen with a connection to 9/11, including a ceremony at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and on-field recognition before the game.
“We continue to honor the memory of those we lost on September 11 and the heroes whose courage and sacrifice inspired our nation,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said via the league.
“Out of unimaginable tragedy emerged an extraordinary sense of unity and service that brought Americans together. As the NFL family reflects on this day 25 years later, we remember those who were taken from us and support those who continue to carry the pain of that day. We also recommit ourselves to the spirit of resilience, community, and service that remains an enduring example for future generations.”
Planned league-wide efforts include in-stadium branding and "Never Forget” end zone stencils, remembrance messaging and volunteer activities connected to the 9/11 Day of Service.
Game officials will use special 9/11 tribute-branded coins for the coin toss, which will later be auctioned on the NFL Auction platform to benefit the league’s September 11 charitable partners.
MLB Network is revisiting the event for the 25th anniversary of September 11.
The network said that “When America Took the Field,” a two-hour documentary examining baseball's role in the country's recovery after the 2001 terrorist attacks, will premiere Sept. 10, re-airing over the following three nights.
MLB has a full schedule on September 11, including the Mets at the Yankees. On the first anniversary of 9/11, a plaque was dedicated in Monument Park "in tribute to the eternal spirit of all the innocent victims and to the selfless courage of the heroes who lost their lives trying to help.”
It will be the site of pre-game ceremonies, with players, managers, umps and others wearing commemorative patches and hats.
The Yankees on-field acknowledgment will take place on September 11, prior to the Yankees-Mets game. Select alumni from the 2001 Yankees team are scheduled to participate in pregame ceremonies, and earlier that afternoon, current Yankees players will place a wreath beside the 9/11 monument in Monument Park.
The presentation of colors will be performed by honor guards from the NYPD, FDNY and PAPD, and a giant American flag will be unfurled prior in the outfield prior to the national anthem,
Photo; 9/11 MuseumSelect current Yankees players and coaches will visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. On Wednesday, September 10, the families of Tuesday’s Promise, including the grandchildren of those who perished on 9/11 and Gold Star families of post-9/11 conflicts, will be the special guest audience for the Yankees’ annual “Kids Press Conference” in the Yankee Stadium Press Conference Room.
Several tributes will take place during the first Sunday Night Football game of the season, when the New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys.
Players, coaches and staff from both teams will wear commemorative NYPD, FDNY and PAPD hats on the sideline in recognition of the first responders who served on September 11 and in the days that followed.
Players and coaches from both teams will also wear special 9/11-branded “Never Forget” T-shirts during pregame warmups. Giants-branded versions of the caps will be available for purchase at the team store, with proceeds benefiting the respective agencies.
"9/11: United We Stand – 25 Years Later," produced in partnership with former Giant Michael Strahan, aired this week and will have an encore simulcast Sept. 11 (ABC).
The special "focuses on the people, places and moments that shaped the nation's recovery in the days, weeks and months after September 11 and features firsthand interviews with the athletes, entertainers, journalists, first responders and cultural figures “
The NFL Foundation, in partnership with the New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Commanders, will make a joint $1 million contribution to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The investment "reflects a shared commitment to preserving the legacy of September 11 and ensuring future generations understand the historical significance of that day, the lives affected and the acts of courage and service that followed."
The NFL Foundation will further direct an added $250,000 grant to 9/11 Day, the nonprofit that each year inspires tens of millions of Americans of all ages to volunteer and do good deeds in observance of the federally recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
The NFL Foundation will also financially support two additional initiatives focused on preserving and sharing the legacy of September 11: a collaboration with Riptoes on a youth education program centered on 9/11 remembrance and stories of observance, unity, volunteerism, community, and service, as well as a StoryCorps initiative – in partnership with Voices Center for Resilience – to help families memorialize loved ones lost on that day.
The NFL family will also participate in volunteer activities connected to the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance to honor the spirit of compassion and unity that emerged in the aftermath of the attacks. League staff, players, legends, clubs and partners will take part in service projects across multiple markets, including a joint volunteer initiative with league partners Comcast NBCUniversal and American Express aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.
In addition, nearly half of the NFL's clubs will partner directly with 9/11 Day to participate in service projects in their communities, including nine clubs that are hosting projects at their stadiums: the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans .
The Mets home venue will not be vacant.
Team RWB (Red, White, Blue) will be in Citi Field on September 11, 2026, for the 9/11 Stair Climb. Participants will climb 2,200 stairs – the approximate number of stairs first responders climbed while ascending the 110-story World Trade Center. For an added challenge, participants may complete the climb wearing a 40-pound ruck, representing the weight of the gear many firefighters carried that day.
Team RWB's 25th Anniversary 9/11 Stair Climb is presented by TD Bank and sponsored by the Darryl and Julie Christner Family Foundation. Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a leading health and wellness community for the military-connected.