September 14, 2026
Wendell Cruz/USA Today via Reuters Connect
Malala Yousafzai appeared on the jumbotron during the Eagles vs. Commanders season opener Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Above, she attends a New York Liberty game last year.
The Eagles can add another famous fan to their roster: Nobel Peace Prize-wining activist Malala Yousafzai.
Yousafzai was spotted in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday during the Birds' season opener against the Washington Commanders. As social media users expressed surprise at her attendance, the women's education advocate formally declared her allegiance by quote-tweeting an image of her on the jumbotron with "GO BIRDS."
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Though the Pakistani humanitarian and youngest Nobel laureate in history is a "big sports fan," Philadelphia football appears to be a new interest. Yousafzai has been hinting at her Eagles affinity since she visited the city last October in support of her memoir "Finding My Way." During the tour stop, Yousafzai chatted with none other than Kylie Kelce, who cajoled the author into saying "go Birds" and participating in an Eagles chant with the audience. Yousafzai later posted video of the chant on her Instagram Story, along with a backstage photo of her hugging Kelce — with Jason Kelce smiling at the edge of the frame.
GO BIRDS 🦅 https://t.co/jmILnEDjkm
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) September 14, 2026
"We got to spend time beforehand backstage," Kelce later said on her podcast. "I did spend some of that time convincing her to come to an Eagles game, so now that she's said 'go Birds' and practiced an Eagles chant, I feel like she's a shoo-in to be cheering on the Birds with us."
It looks like Kelce's mission was a success, because not even two months later, Yousafzai shared a photo dump on her Instagram with a sneaky Birds shoutout. The fifth image in the carousel showed the activist seated at a table with a box of Popeye's chicken, her headscarf just slightly obscuring a Philadelphia Eagles tee.
Her attendance at Sunday's game makes what had been social media hints official. Now that her fandom is out in the open, don't be surprised if Yousafzai pops up in a box with Bradley Cooper and Quinta Brunson later this season.
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