Flag football gets Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028 Games

Flag football will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles with six men’s teams and six women’s teams set to play July 15-22, 2028, a schedule that ends with the men’s medal game on July 21 and the women’s final on July 22. LA28’s published plan places the tournament at Exposition Park Stadium in Los Angeles, and organizers later approved a move to BMO Stadium in the same Exposition Park complex, a venue with about 22,000 seats beside the Coliseum.

The sport’s place in the program was locked in on Oct. 16, 2023, when the International Olympic Committee approved five additional sports for LA28 at its 141st Session. Squash will make its Olympic debut, while cricket and lacrosse return after more than a century away.

The qualification system gives the host nation a berth in both the men’s and women’s events, and it sets the IFAF World Championships at 16 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams. The top two eligible teams in each gender from that championship will earn Olympic spots. The official field size is 60 athletes per gender.

On Aug. 5, 2024, the league marked the official inclusion of men’s and women’s flag football on the LA28 program after the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony, and it used Jalen Hurts in a promotional handoff tied to the Los Angeles Games. In May 2025, NFL owners unanimously approved a plan allowing league players to take part in the Olympic tournament, with a cap of no more than one player from each NFL team.

The 2024 IFAF World Flag Football Championships drew more than 50 elite men’s and women’s teams from 32 countries. Stephanie Kwok, the NFL’s head of flag football, said Olympic inclusion can help bring more girls into the sport.