IFAF World Flag Championship 2026
Sixteen men's and sixteen women's national teams meet in Düsseldorf for two world titles and the first direct tickets to the 2028 Olympics. Here is everything you need to know: when it is, what is at stake, who is competing, the schedule, and how to follow and watch every game free.
The first Olympic tickets are on the line
Flag football makes its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028 with six teams per gender. Düsseldorf is the first direct qualifier on the road there. The top two men's teams and top two women's teams, excluding the pre-qualified hosts the United States, earn automatic LA28 berths. With the USA in both finals in Düsseldorf, the second berth in each division comes down to the bronze medal game. The remaining places will be settled later through the IFAF continental championships in 2027 and a final qualifying event. The United States, as host nation, already holds Olympic berths, which raises the stakes for every other contender chasing the limited spots that remain.
Olympic berths
The top two men's teams and top two women's teams, excluding the pre-qualified host United States, qualify directly for the LA28 Olympic tournament.
World titles
Men's and women's world champions are crowned on August 16, the tournament's final day.
The team to beat
The United States won both titles at the 2024 Worlds and enters Düsseldorf as the defending champion on each side.
The field and the group draw
Nineteen nations across five continents send 32 squads. Each gender is split into four groups of four, seeded by the IFAF World Rankings in a serpentine order, with the United States topping both draws. Group play feeds a knockout bracket that culminates in the medal games. Select any team to open its roster in the FlagsOnly Player Index.
Group A
- 1United States
- 2Australia
- 3Israel
- 4American Samoa
Group D
Group B
- 1United States
- 2Spain
- 3Australia
- 4Nigeria withdrew
Group C
Three nations field men's teams only (Israel, Switzerland, American Samoa) and three field women's teams only (Spain, Slovenia, China). Seeds reflect the serpentine draw order, not final standings. Rosters for American Samoa, Switzerland's men, and Slovenia's women are not yet in the Player Index. Nigeria's men's and women's teams withdrew before the tournament; per IFAF, their scheduled group opponents are awarded automatic victories.
Four days, two champions
The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday. Group play opens the event, the bracket narrows the field across the middle days, and the medal games and Olympic qualification are settled on Sunday. Exact kickoff times and the full match grid are published on the official event site.
Opening day. Group stage begins for both the men's and women's tournaments.
Group play continues as seeding for the knockout rounds takes shape.
Group stage concludes and the knockout bracket gets underway.
Semifinals, medal games, and the two Olympic qualifying spots per gender are decided.
The full match-by-match grid is below. Schedule per IFAF (released May 2026), subject to change. Official source: worldflag26.com.
Every game, by day
The full grid as released by IFAF. Group games are set; from the knockout rounds on, teams are decided by results. Switch between the men's and women's tournaments, pick a day, and flip the clock between Düsseldorf local time and US Eastern. Select any team name to open its roster.
Times are kickoff times. CEST is 6 hours ahead of US Eastern and 9 hours ahead of US Pacific; games before 9:00 CEST land on the previous calendar day in those zones, marked under the time. Fields: the New England Patriots Field and the Sebastian Vollmer Field. Knockout participants depend on group results, so the country filter shows confirmed group games only. Nigeria's men's and women's teams withdrew before the tournament; per IFAF, their scheduled opponents are awarded automatic victories.
Every game, free, in front of 180 million
IFAF has confirmed the largest broadcast operation in the sport's history for Düsseldorf. Coverage splits cleanly in two: every group game, placement game and quarterfinal streams worldwide on IFAF's YouTube channel, and the semifinals and medal games get the full production treatment live and free on DAZN over the closing weekend. More than 112 hours will air in total, reaching a potential audience of 180 million.
Group games to quarterfinals Worldwide
All group games, placement games and quarterfinals stream free on IFAF's YouTube channel, available everywhere with no regional restriction. This is the way to follow your team through the opening three days.
IFAF on YouTubeSemifinals and medal games DAZN
Fully produced coverage of the semifinals and both gold medal games streams live and free on DAZN over the weekend, under the multi-year global distribution deal IFAF signed in May. The four LA28 berths are settled across Sunday's medal round.
Open DAZNFlag Focus nightly show New
A new magazine show from the team behind the WhatTheFlag?! vodcast drops a fresh episode every night of the Championships, recapping the day's results and previewing what is next.
Watch on IFAF YouTubeAttend in person On sale
Tickets are on sale through the official event site, including seats for both World Championship finals at the Garath flag football complex in Düsseldorf.
Tickets & infoWhere to watch in your country
Eight territories have signed regional agreements for live or extended highlights coverage, alongside the global YouTube and DAZN feeds.
Coverage type varies by territory, from full live games to extended highlights. Check your local broadcaster for exact windows.
The broadcast team
The international feed is produced by Spontent in association with the NFL. This crew calls the semifinals and medal games.
IFAF official
A purpose-built home for the sport
All matches are played at the flag football complex in Düsseldorf-Garath, the first dedicated facility of its kind in Germany. The City of Düsseldorf opened the complex with the NFL's New England Patriots in April 2025. It holds two competition fields, the New England Patriots Flag Football Field and the Sebastian Vollmer Flag Football Field, named for the German-born two-time Super Bowl champion.