From Tuesday (27 August) to Friday (30 August) the best flag football nations in the world will meet. The Germans also brought a lot of hope with them to Finland, where the World Cup will be hosted. The tournament is also a first tough test for everyone who is aiming for a medal at the upcoming Olympic Games.
Team Germany: Will the European Championship success be followed by a good World Cup?
The Germans are not too far away from the world’s best. At the last European Championships in 2023 in Ireland, there was gold for the men and bronze for the women.
The German men are also doing well in the still young world rankings: third place behind the dominant teams from the USA and Mexico. The German women are eighth in the world rankings – here too, Mexico and the USA are way ahead.
The German men in particular have high hopes for the World Cup. However, they will only win a medal if they can overcome the two top favorites. That is not impossible: At the 2017 World Games, Germany managed a narrow victory against the USA, which meant they reached the final.
Olympics 2028: Flag football included for the first time
The big goal of all national teams: the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The sport will celebrate its Olympic premiere in the country of its inventors in 2028. The anticipation reaches the highest echelons of football celebrities.
Quarterback superstar Patrick Mahomes could well imagine participating for Team USA at the Olympic Games – in the flag football team.
Numerous stars from the NFL, the US league in American football, have expressed at least a loose interest in playing for the USA. These include big names in the league such as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Tyreek Hill. It is not yet clear how serious they really are about it and whether their NFL teams will even allow it.
Flag Football: No tackles, no helmets
In comparison to its “brutal” brother American football, flag football players do not need any protective equipment. Instead of a helmet, the outfit includes two “flags”. However, they have little in common with classic flags – they are more like long ribbons that hang on the sides and sometimes on the back of the players’ pants and can be pulled off.
Whoever pulls one of the flags from the hip of the ball carrier ends the offensive play – tackles are illegal. The aim of the game, like in American football, is to score as many points as possible through touchdowns.
The field is also smaller, as are the teams. Depending on the rules, there are nine, seven or – as in World Cup mode – five players per side.
