With the introduction of flag football to the Olympic Games, Canada is one of the countries vying for the initial spots in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at the ongoing world championships in Germany. In each of the men’s and women’s tournaments, two spots are available for the Olympics, with six teams in each tournament. The United States, a dominant force in flag football, secures an automatic berth, while the remaining three spots for each gender will be determined through a two-stage qualifier in Montreal in June 2028.
Although the world championships do not serve as a direct qualification event for the Olympics, securing a spot at this stage would alleviate the pressure of having to compete in the last-chance qualifier over the next two years.
The tournament in Germany features sixteen teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions, divided into groups of four for the preliminary rounds held on Thursday and Friday. The top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stage starting Saturday. The medal matches, which will determine the world champions and the Olympic qualifiers, are scheduled for Sunday.
Canada’s women’s team, currently ranked fourth globally, will face Panama, Brazil, and Japan in the group stage matches. The men’s team, ranked 10th, will play against Austria, Japan, and was originally set to compete against Nigeria, but the latter withdrew due to visa issues.
As for the competition lineup, the Canadian women have a strong history in the sport, having won the world championship in 2010 and 2014 and clinching bronze in 2018. On the other hand, the men’s team secured their sole world title in 2008 and are keen on improving their performance after a few near misses in recent years. The tournament also sparked speculations about NFL and CFL players participating in the Olympics, although the differences between flag and tackle football were evident in a recent exhibition match where flag football players outperformed NFL stars.
To catch the action live, viewers can tune in to CBC Gem and the CBC Sports website, starting from 2 a.m. ET on Thursday.