The 2024 Paris Olympics are going to have some new additions to the field of competitions, but Americans will have to wait until 2028 to see the sport with which they are perhaps most familiar.
The 2028 Los Angeles Games — the first Olympics hosted by the U.S. since 2002 in Salt Lake City and first Summer Games since 1996 (Atlanta) — will feature flag football in its Olympic debut.
It is the first time in any Olympic Games that a version of American football has featured on one of sports’ grandest stages. While team sports such as basketball and soccer have far international reach and have long been part of the Summer Olympics, football has experienced a number of roadblocks, including the high risk of injury and the relative regionality of the sport.
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So, what changed?
For starters, the NFL has put in initiatives to grow the sport globally. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has prioritized giving the league an international foothold, as evidenced by 2024 games to be played in São Paulo, London and Munich.
Furthermore, the NFL has placed a heavy emphasis on adding international youth programs for flag football specifically, directly addressing the risk of injury (particularly relating to issues of repeated concussions). Finally, the Olympics taking place in Los Angeles is a perfect setting to roll out the sport, as the league has put its offices in Inglewood, alongside the Rams and Chargers’ SoFi Stadium.
As for the competition and questions of what happens if the United States dominates, that is merely a “have to play the game” scenario. The U.S. might sweep the board in flag football. But if it doesn’t, whichever team prospectively topples it would become the de facto biggest story of the Games.
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Is flag football in the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Flag football, for all of the hype surrounding it, will not appear in the 2024 Games in Paris. It was voted in October 2023 to appear in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
When will flag football be in the Olympics?
Flag football will be rolled out at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“This is a huge moment for our sport and our global American football community,” said Pierre Trochet, president of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), per an NFL.com in a statement. “We are grateful to everyone who has played a part in what has been a truly collective journey — and a journey that will now continue in partnership with LA28, whom we thank for their vision and leadership.
“We are convinced that flag football will offer an exciting new dimension to the Games — uniting them, for the first time in history, with America’s No. 1 sport in its youngest, most accessible and inclusive format, which is already spearheading extraordinary growth, particularly among youth audiences, women and girls and in new countries worldwide. We have no doubt that inclusion in the Olympic Games will further accelerate this dynamic.”
Added Goodell, in part:
“The NFL is committed to working together to strengthen flag football’s place in the Olympic movement long term, and we look forward to continuing this exciting journey with IFAF, the LA28 Organizing Committee, the International Olympic Committee and USA Football.”
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Anyone who’s watched an NFL game knows the intensity and speed of the sport, not to mention the implicit risk of injury.
While flag football offers its own set of risks, it doesn’t bear the physicality of tackle football. So flag football is being offered as a safer alternative to the full-contact sport.
Furthermore, flag football is more accessible to more people. While outfitting teams in football pads is cost-prohibitive, flag football offers a more affordable option, which will lead to more global participation.
“The decision to add flag football to the 2028 Summer Olympic program in Los Angeles is an acknowledgment of the sport’s tremendous international growth and appeal as a fast, exciting and competitive sport,” said IFAF VP and USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck.
Has football been in the Olympics before?
2028 will mark the 96th anniversary of football’s first and only appearance in the Olympics.
In the New York Daily News, Troy Vincent noted that football did appear in the 1932 Olympics, which were coincidentally also hosted in Los Angeles. It was, however, merely a demo sport and did not award medals.
2028 will be the first time football is treated as a medal sport, and it will be flag football’s first appearance. The 1932 iteration was, of course, tackle.
Who will be in the U.S. Olympic flag football team?
One of the great questions is if the best the U.S. has to offer will compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
NFL teams are, of course, mortally frightened of injuries to their top players, so any competition is risky — even the non-contact variety. Flag football is now played at the Pro Bowl, but, even so, that’s at the end of the season, not when training camp should be ramping up.
Players such as Tyreek Hill have expressed interest in playing, while Joe Burrow has said he wants to reunite the 2019 LSU super-team of himself, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson.
The NFLPA will, of course, be involved in making that possibility a reality.
“So, that opportunity for athletes to represent their countries, we understand the desire, what they have spoken out about and what we will continue to do is work with the players, (NFL) Players Association and the clubs in the time ahead to determine the process and then work with USA Football and IFAF on that,” said NFL executive Peter O’Reily, per NFL.com.
Flag football Olympics 2028 rules
With so many different ways to play a game, what rules will flag football adhere to? Part of the Olympics is providing games at digestible lengths, so a full NFL-length game would not be tenable for broadcast reasons.
Per the Olympic website (emphasis theirs):
“A flag football match consists of two 20-minute halves with the clock running continuously in each until the 2-minute warning.
“After the 2-minute warning, the clock stops every time there is a stoppage, i.e., when the ball-carrier goes out of bounds, a forward pass goes to ground or there is a turnover or a score.
“If the scores are tied after 40 minutes, overtime begins with each team getting equal attempts to score, unless the defence intercepts the ball and scores.”
There will not be linemen in this version of the game, and defenders may blitz from 7 yards off the line of scrimmage.
Will there be women’s flag football at 2028 Olympics?
While football and its growth is generally talked about in the context of the NFL on the men’s side, the 2028 Olympics will feature a women’s bracket as well.
Women’s flag football is a rapidly growing sport, with varsity flag football in high school seeing an 86% jump in women’s participation over a four-year span from 2019-2022, per the New York Daily News. Mexico’s Diana Flores became a star of the sport when she led Mexico to gold in the World Games.
