USA Football opens structured path from flag football to Olympic team

The National Team Development Program is USA Football’s primary pathway for athletes ages 11 through 23, and the first step is a TEAM USA FOOTBALL Youth Athlete ID or Adult Athlete ID, required to begin eligibility.

From there, athletes can get in front of evaluators through Talent ID Camps, Digital Combines and other qualifying events. The Talent ID Camps are split by age, with boys and girls 11 to 17 on one track and adult athletes 18 and over on another. At camp, players are tested in combine-style drills, position work, 1v1 and 2v3 periods and 5v5 scrimmage situations, with scouts looking beyond straight-line speed. Evaluators also watch leadership, coachability, explosiveness, flexibility and the ability to compete under pressure.

Athletes can move from camp evaluations to roster consideration for Select Team and Stars & States opportunities, then on toward U.S. National Team Trials. Select Bowl brings together top rising athletes from across the country to train and compete in front of U.S. National Team scouts. Stars & States sits on the same development line as a championship-style event featuring state teams. USA Football announced Stars & States as part of its Summer Series for June 19-21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.

Flag football was added to the Olympic program for Los Angeles 2028 at the International Olympic Committee’s 141st Session in October 2023. Flag football traces its recreational roots to games played by U.S. soldiers during World War II. The Olympic movement says more than 20 million people in more than 100 countries now play it.

The United States has won the last four men’s world titles and gold at the 2022 World Games, while the women are two-time reigning world champions.