The NFL said there has been high interest from NFL players about participating in the Olympics in 2028 when flag football makes its debut, with the NFL’s head of global flag football, Brian Flinn, saying more than 200 players representing more than 25 countries have expressed a desire to possibly play.
Flinn said there will be more details on the process for national federations choosing players at the end of this season.
There will be six men’s and six women’s teams competing in Los Angeles with three of each already assured spots. The U.S. will be in as the host country, while the Canadian men’s and women’s teams clinched spots, along with the Italian men and Mexican women at the World Championships last week in Germany.
Flinn was encouraged by the competitiveness of that tournament, where the U.S. men lost for the first time in 14 years in a group stage match against American Samoa and also narrowly beat Japan in the quarterfinals.
Flinn also said the women’s teams from Canada and Great Britain have closed the gap with traditional powers Mexico and the U.S. as the level of play and intensity continues to rise.
“You saw the emotion of the players because they knew what they were playing for,” Flinn said. “Certainly the Olympic dream was alive.”
