Sixteen international flag football teams will contend at The World Games 2022

Sixteen of the world’s best flag football teams will contend for gold for the first time when The World Games 2022 start in Birmingham, Alabama one month from now.

The World Games gets back to the United States for the first time starting around 1981 and interestingly features flag football as an official event, with the tournament set to be played July 10-14. This denotes a significant milestone for the global development of the famous football format, which is the cornerstone of the NFL’s childhood participation strategy.

Flag football joins the sports program close by 33 different disciplines at the Olympic-style, multi-sport event, following its consideration by the International World Games Association (IWGA) in 2020.

Flag Football @TWG2022 Presented by the NFL, in partnership with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), will feature eight men’s and eight women’s teams from around the world. Games will be hosted at Birmingham’s historic Legion Field, making an unrivaled backdrop to showcase the absolute best of the dynamic, non-contact sport.

“The World Games is a tremendous platform to showcase flag football as an exciting, competitive, dynamic game that can be played by everyone regardless of age or gender,” said Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations. “Flag is one of the fastest-growing sports globally and The World Games will no doubt accelerate that growth as the Flag championships inspire that football is for all.”

As reigning world champions, the United States men’s and women’s teams have both pre-qualified for the tournament. The U.S. National Flag Football Teams are gathered and overseen by USA Football, the game’s national governing body, and an individual from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The remaining 14 teams made their place through IFAF’s international qualifying process. The accompanying nations will take part in the current year’s games:

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

“We believe flag football – our fast-paced, exciting, and inclusive format – is perfectly suited to this multi-sport platform. Our highly skilled men’s and women’s athletes will undoubtedly deliver a truly historic moment in Birmingham next month, one that ignites and inspires the next generation of players and fans, and we are delighted to work together with The World Games and NFL to make it happen.”

The World Games 2022 Birmingham will occur from July 7-17. The Flag Football contest starts off with starter matches July 10-11 and end-of-the-season games beginning July 12. The tournament finishes up with the finals on July 14, when the very first flag football medals of The World Games will be awarded.

NFL Network will broadcast an upgraded package of the men’s and women’s gold medal games on July 21 with Rhett Lewis and NFL Legends Michael Robinson and Maurice Jones-Drew on the call. Bobby Taylor and Tony Richardson will be nearby for the flag football competitions as privileged Legends Captains.