SI Swimsuit Legend Nina Agdal Is Making Her Mark in Flag Football [EXCLUSIVE]

Nina Agdal may be best known for her status as an SI Swimsuit cover model, but the brand legend is also a fierce competitor who is quickly taking the world of flag football by storm. Though the Danish model only picked up the sport in January, she quickly fell in love with the strategy of the game. “With fake passes, it’s almost like you have to act, play a sport and strategize all at the same time, which is really interesting to me,” Agdal, who is a defensive rusher, tells SI Swimsuit.

This spring, Agdal’s flag football team in Puerto Rico, Las Guerreras, came in second place among the four teams in the women’s division of the Federación Puertorriqueña de Flag Football. Following the championship, the league’s head coaches selected the players who would go on to play in Mexico’s Cancún Bowl 2026 earlier this month, with Agdal among them.

The 34-year-old mom and model is described as a fierce competitor by those who know her best, and Agdal locks in during game time by staying focused and showing up for her teammates. “The plays only last a few seconds, so you really have to make those seconds count,” she says. And as for playing a traditionally male-dominated sport? “Why should we not?” Agdal says. “Sports don’t have genders. Do what you wanna do, and if anyone has a problem with a woman taking up space, that sounds like a them problem.”

Video directed and filmed by Taylor Ballantyne/Sony Alpha, edited by Chelsea Lyn Sobolik/Ballantyne Films.

Agdal’s connection to Puerto Rico

Agdal, who lives in Puerto Rico with her husband, wrestler and content creator Logan Paul, and their daughter, Esmé, appreciates how much pride Puerto Ricans have in their culture and people, which is something she’s witnessed firsthand through playing flag football on the island.

Puerto Rico flag football team | Courtesy of Taylor Ballantyne/Sony Alpha

“There’s such a sense of family, strength and resilience here,” Agdal says. “Flag football has made me feel it on an even more personal level. Being welcomed by this group of incredible women and getting to represent Puerto Rico made me connect with the energy of this island even more and also reminded me of the impact a sports community can have on people on a deeper level. I feel so lucky that my daughter and I get to experience living here and that this beautiful island gets to be such a big part of her childhood.”

A lifelong athlete, Agdal regularly shares health and fitness-related content with her 1.8 million Instagram followers. From the moves she’s following to grow her glutes to strength training alongside Paul, Agdal is always on the move—and these days, she is filling her free time outside of work and family commitments with various forms of movement.

Nina Ahdal — Nina Agdal | Courtesy of Taylor Ballantyne/Sony Alpha

“I’m playing a lot of sports right now,” Agdal says. “Between flag football, beach volleyball and tennis, I’m usually playing for one to two hours a day, four to five days a week. Then I do two additional gym workouts as well. If I’m not playing sports, I’ll be in the gym four to five times a week doing weighted circuits and my treadmill intervals.”

Finding herself out on the field

The game of flag football serves as both a creative outlet and a form of fitness for Agdal, and in picking up the sport earlier this year, she hopes to demonstrate to her daughter just how important it is to pursue your passions at any age.

“I hope my daughter sees that it’s never too late to try something new and that you can keep finding hobbies that get you excited and make you happy,” Agdal says. “I love learning new things, and I feel like as we get older, we sometimes stop jumping into something new because being a beginner can feel harder. But always growing and learning is important for my spirit and mental health, so I will literally try anything, even if I suck at it.”

Agdal encourages people of all ages to pick up new hobbies, whether that means—like her—getting out on the flag football field, learning a new instrument or doing arts and crafts. “Keeping your hands and mind busy, focusing on something and seeing yourself improve builds confidence,” Agdal explains. “I think that carries over into your relationships and your life, and that’s something I want [my daughter] to see.”

As one of the world’s fastest-growing sports—and the fastest-growing sport among female high school athletes today, as reported by Axois—flag football will officially make its Olympic debut during the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. In the meantime, the SI Swimsuit model and her teammates are proving just how fierce women are, both on the field and off.

Agdal’s connection to Puerto Rico

Finding herself out on the field

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