Canada junior flag football teams gain international experience in Los Angeles

Canada’s inaugural junior national flag football teams spent June 17-21 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, where 15U and 17U boys’ and girls’ squads trained, played and closed out their first international assignment after a national camp. Football Canada announced the teams on June 4, and the selection marked the first time the country fielded national teams at the junior level.

The athletes came out of Elite Flag Nationals and then went through a national training camp before heading south. USA Football set the Junior International Cup for June 17-21, with practices from June 17-19, games from June 19-21 and award ceremonies on June 21. The field included Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, South Korea and the United States.

The junior teams sit within Football Canada’s high-performance pathway, a structure that moves players from age-group competition toward senior national-team roles. The Junior International Cup was part of USA Football’s Summer Series, with more than 1,000 athletes, coaches and team personnel.

Football Canada’s 2026 championship schedule includes four major events across Canada and will bring together more than 60,000 athletes. The calendar runs through the Senior Flag Football National Championships in Montreal, the U16 regional challenges in Sherbrooke and Winnipeg, the Football Canada Cup in Winnipeg and the U18 Women’s National Championship in Regina.