EA Sports has announced the lineup for its 2026 Madden Bowl, revealing a bill that includes two of country music’s most talked-about (and intensely polarized) figures: Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock.
Set for February 6th at San Francisco’s Chase Center, the Madden Bowl will take place during Super Bowl weekend and feature performances from Zach Bryan, Teddy Swims, Stephen Wilson Jr., Adcock, and LaRussell. Bryan is slated to headline the event after Luke Combs withdrew due to family reasons, according to EA Sports.
While the Madden Bowl has become a high-profile convergence of music and football, the inclusion of both Bryan and Adcock on the same bill is likely to draw attention, given the intense feud that erupted between the two artists last year.
The conflict began last summer after Bryan responded sharply to a 14-year-old fan who joked online about not receiving a photo after one of his shows. Adcock publicly criticized Bryan’s response, accusing him of ingratitude and questioning why fans continued to idolize him. The exchange escalated through a series of social media posts and interviews, with Bryan eventually telling Adcock to “GOMD” in a separate deleted post.
Tensions reached a boiling point on September 135th, at the Born & Raised Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. Video from backstage showed Bryan shouting challenges at Adcock across a barbed-wire fence before climbing it and making violent threats, prompting venue security to intervene. Adcock later posted footage of the incident on Instagram, mocking Bryan and alleging he had been intoxicated. Bryan did not publicly comment on the incident.
In subsequent remarks, Adcock described the confrontation as an attempt by Bryan to provoke a fight ahead of his headline set, claiming he chose not to engage to avoid disappointing fans and potential legal consequences.
Neither artist has commented on the Madden Bowl announcement or acknowledged one another since the lineup was revealed. EA Sports’s statement made no reference to the past conflict, instead framing the event as “an unforgettable night of music and football.”
The 2026 Madden Bowl takes place February 6 at Chase Center in San Francisco, with additional event details expected ahead of Super Bowl weekend.
