USAfootball

IFAF Flag Football World Championship schedule announced

The sixth IFAF Flag Football World Championship kicks off Aug. 16 in Gothenburg, Sweden, as 17 countries from four continents compete in men’s and women’s competitions during the four-day tournament.

IFAF member federations Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States will be represented.

USA (men) and Canada (women) will defend their 2010titles won in Ottawa, while the newest entry to international competition is Kuwait, which was granted IFAF membership less than a month ago.

The IFAF Flag Football World Championship has been held since 2002 and is the showpiece event for senior national teams competing in 5-on-5 flag football.

Sweden hosted the first-ever IFAF Women’s World Championship in 2010. Sweden also will host the 2015 IFAF Senior World Championship.

“The women’s championship was popular with fans and competitors and the American football community here in Sweden, so we are pleased to be welcoming the best flag football players in the world,” Swedish Federation Director of Events Mikael Roos said. “We will see very competitive and exciting games and the renewal of some great rivalries that have been established over the years.”

“Flag football is not only one of the game's key grassroots initiatives that introduces young players to the game, but also provides an exciting challenge for top athletes participating in the non-contact version of American football,” IFAF President Tommy Wiking said.

The 2012 men’s tournament features 16 teams split into two groups based on seeding from previous events. 2010 champion USA heads Group A, which also contains Canada and Sweden. Group B features silver and bronze medalists from 2010, Denmark and Italy.

The women’s tournament does not include defending champion Canada. The United States is part of the six-nation Group A, while Austria leads the six-team Group B. Brazil and Panama both are first-time flag football entrants.

Teams play a round-robin tournament Aug. 16 and 17 before the top two teams in each group contest the semifinals. The gold and bronze medal games are Aug. 19.

The full schedule for both tournaments is available at the event website.

2012 IFAF Flag Football World Championship Groups

Men’s Tournament                Women’s Tournament

IFAF Flag Football World Championship Previous Winners

Year     Venue               Men                  Women

2002     Austria              Austria              Sweden

2004     France              France              Mexico

2006     Korea               France              France

2008     Canada             Canada             Mexico

2010     Canada             USA                 Canada

About IFAF: The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites 64 countries on six continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France.