NFL and World Games partner in ‘ultimate goal’ to have Flag Football at the 2028 Olympics

As the World Games is set kickoff competition in Birmingham Alabama this weekend, one sport in particular will followed closely as it relates to the Olympic program - Flag Football.

The NFL has partnered with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF ) to put a spotlight on flag football during The World Games with hopes of adding the discipline at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“That’s the ultimate goal to make flag football an Olympic sport,” NFL executive Troy Vincent told The Associated Press.

According to Vincent, the number of people playing flag football globally has increased significantly. He noted that six states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Nevada, have already established varsity programs that allow the sport to be sanctioned.

Sixteen of the world’s best flag football teams will be competing for gold when the event kicks off on Sunday at the historic Legion Field in Birmingham. Flag football was added to the program of the World Games in 2020.

“We are thrilled to have flag football join the official sports program at The World Games for the first time,” IFAF President Pierre Trochet said in a statement. “This is a milestone in the sport’s development and a fantastic opportunity to showcase flag as a truly world-class, international sport.

NFL clubs have also supported the initiative by contributing to the fund-raising efforts of local high schools. In May, the Atlanta Falcon’s stadium unveiled a girls flag wall. The league additionally noted that over 400 schools and 10,00 girls participate in flag football.

The World Games are returning to the US for the first time since 1981. Both the men’s and women’s teams from the US were able to secure their place in the event by winning the 2021 IFAF Flag World Championships in Jerusalem. The remaining 14 teams were able to secure their place through the international qualifying process.

Austria, France, Italy, Mexico and Panama also qualified men’s and women’s teams. Denmark and Germany have the remaining men’s teams. Brazil and Japan have the other two women’s teams.

“This is not something that we dominate because it’s football, the national pastime in America,” Vincent said. “You watch these young ladies and men play in other countries. They come to play. It’s a transitional sport. It’s a cross-functional sport. The best flag players come from soccer, lacrosse, cricket because these are men and women who have tremendous agility. It’s a fast-paced game played in space. You don’t have to play it for years and years. You can develop. You can transfer those skills that you learned in soccer, lacrosse, cricket to flag football.”