Team USA Names Its Final 24 for the Flag Football Worlds
USA Football has finalized its 12-woman and 12-man rosters for the IFAF World Flag Championship in Düsseldorf, August 13 to 16, where two places in the LA28 Olympic draw are on the line.
At a Glance
- USA Football has named its final 12-woman and 12-man rosters for the 2026 IFAF World Flag Championship, narrowing a field that began with 48 athletes invited to training camp in March.
- The championship runs August 13 to 16 at the Düsseldorf Flag Football Complex, where 16 women's and 16 men's teams from 19 nations chase world titles and two of the first qualifying berths for the 2028 Olympics.
- As the LA28 host nation, the United States is already assured of its Olympic place, so Düsseldorf is a world-title defense for the Americans while the two Olympic berths on offer are the bigger prize for the rival nations chasing them.
Team USA has its 24. USA Football has named the final 12 women and 12 men who will represent the United States at the 2026 IFAF World Flag Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, from August 13 to 16, completing a selection process that opened in March with a 48-player pool, ran through National Team Trials and a series of training camps at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, and ended with two 12-athlete squads.
The stakes in Düsseldorf look different depending on the flag on the jersey. The championship gathers 16 women's and 16 men's teams from 19 nations and delivers two of the earliest qualifying places in the draw for Los Angeles 2028, where flag football makes its Olympic debut. For most of the field, those two berths are the prize. For the United States, they are not in play: as the host nation, the Americans are already assured of their Olympic places, which makes Düsseldorf a chance to defend a world title and protect a reputation rather than a qualifier. The United States enters as the standard in both brackets, defending the gold the women won over Mexico, 31-18, and the men won over Austria, 53-21, at the 2024 championships in Lahti, Finland.
A few familiar names are not on the final sheet. Vanita Krouch, the longtime women's captain with a 33-1 international record, did not advance through the selection process, and Robert Griffin III withdrew from the men's pool in May, citing a veterans commitment that conflicted with training camp. Their absences hand more responsibility to the younger passers and two-way athletes who came up through the trials.
The Women's Roster
The women's team pairs a deep group of young quarterbacks and multi-sport athletes with veterans like Deliah Autry-Jones and reigning world champions across the lineup.
A three-time gold medalist and Doctor of Physical Therapy who has competed on the national team since the 2021 World Championship.
A former New Mexico basketball player who recorded an interception in the 31-18 gold-medal win over Mexico in 2024.
A South Florida product who earned her spot through the March 2026 national team trials.
A Keiser University record-holder with 1,617 career receiving yards, a 2024 world champion who works seasonally with the Kansas City Chiefs.
A former Limestone University track athlete who caught 14 touchdowns in 2023 and founded the MAD Skills youth training program.
A former college basketball player who scored in the 2024 championship game and co-led the team with 10 touchdowns at the 2025 World Games.
A former second-round WNBA draft pick by the Dallas Wings and All-Big 12 guard who has become a dynamic two-way flag player.
A teenage quarterback who threw for a Nevada-leading 5,764 yards as a senior at Desert Oasis High, moved from Hawaii to chase the sport, and is committed to Nevada State.
A Desert Oasis product and Higa teammate from the Las Vegas APEX Predators program who plays at Nevada State University.
The youngest player in U.S. women's national team history when she debuted at 17, a 2024 gold medalist and back-to-back NIRSA national champion at Florida.
A three-year national teamer and 2024 world champion who now plays college flag football at Cal Poly.
A Mid-Atlantic defender and pass rusher who earned her roster spot through the March 2026 trials.
The Men's Roster
The men's team is again built around Darrell "Housh" Doucette III, the New Orleans quarterback and co-captain who has been the engine of the program's run of world titles and was named MVP of the inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic in March, where Team USA swept a field of NFL stars.
A team co-captain and dependable two-way veteran who recorded a pick-six off Jalen Hurts at the 2026 Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
Nicknamed "Boomin" for his explosive plays, a national team mainstay since 2023 and a cousin of Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph.
A gold-medal-winning defender who intercepted Joe Burrow at the 2026 Fanatics Classic despite picking up the sport only a few years ago.
A former 2024 alternate who completed 24 of 27 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns at the 2026 Fanatics Classic alongside Doucette.
A dual-threat quarterback and athlete who advanced from 2025 alternate to a place on the active roster.
A defensive back who played at West Virginia and earned a Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp invitation; he now works as a personal trainer in Miami.
A former German Football League MVP with the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes who found flag football through a local Austin league.
The co-captain and competitive heartbeat of the men's program, a multi-time world champion and the 2026 Fanatics Flag Football Classic MVP.
A former Texas Tech receiver who posted 509 yards and 10 touchdowns at the 2024 Worlds and drives an 18-wheeler between tournaments.
A former Western Carolina cornerback who brings college-level coverage experience to the American secondary.
A three-time gold medalist and reigning world champion who played college ball at Northwest Missouri State.
Known as "Flash," a versatile athlete and pass rusher who debuted in 2025 and competed at the 2026 Fanatics Classic.
The Road to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the first checkpoint on the two-year march to Los Angeles. With 16 teams in each bracket and only two early Olympic places on offer to nations other than the host United States, every game in Germany carries weight that previous world championships did not. The American women's draw is genuinely contested: Mexico holds the IFAF's top ranking and beat the United States at both the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, 26-21 on the final play, and the 2025 Americas Continental Championship. The American men, by contrast, remain heavy favorites.
What was once a niche pursuit is now an Olympic sport with a clear pipeline, and the final rosters reflect how quickly the talent pool has deepened. Veterans who built the program's reputation share the locker room with teenagers who grew up with flag football as a varsity sport and an Olympic dream. In August, all 24 of them get the first real chance to turn that momentum into a place on the road to 2028.