Olympic Qualification System for Flag Football confirmed
- IFAF Media
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The route to Los Angeles 2028 is now set for nations hoping to qualify teams to compete in the inaugural Olympic Games Flag Football events.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board today approved the Olympic Qualification System for Flag Football in LA28, developed in collaboration with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
The system, which can be downloaded from the IOC website, guarantees automatic qualification for the host nation, the United States of America (USA), in both the men’s and women’s events.
The remaining five women’s and five men’s team spots will be awarded over a two-year period, starting with the new-look IFAF Flag Football World Championships taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany from August 13-16 this year.
The two top-placed teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments – excluding the USA – will each secure direct tickets to Los Angeles 2028 in Düsseldorf.
For the rest, the qualifying journey will continue through the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships, where the two top-placed men’s and women’s teams from each continent (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania) – excluding those teams that have already qualified – will win the right to move forward to a final qualification event.
This ‘last chance’ tournament, featuring 10 women’s and 10 men’s teams in total, will take place as part of the Olympic Qualifier Series – a multi-sport showcase set to be staged in Spring/Summer 2028. Full details, including precise dates and location, will be revealed later this year.
The Olympic Qualifier Series will see the final LA28 Flag Football qualification spots awarded – to the three top-placed teams in both the men’s and women’s events.
IFAF President Pierre Trochet said: “It’s now starting to get very real! LA28 is going to be an unforgettable, history-making moment for American football and I can’t wait to congratulate our first qualifiers at the IFAF World Championships in Düsseldorf this summer. The stakes and the levels of international competition in flag football have never been higher. We’re in for two years of unmissable action all around the globe.”
Fabio Tortosa, IFAF Board Director in charge of Competitions said: “It’s exciting to be able to reveal this first Olympic Qualification System for Flag Football, which showcases the competitiveness and universality of our most widely played and fastest-growing discipline. We know how precious and coveted these LA28 berths will be, and our guiding principles in designing the pathway have always been integrity and fairness, aiming to ensure equal opportunity for teams from every continent. Good luck to all those that are now in the starting gates!”
Comments