TEAM USA FOOTBALL’S MEN’S AND WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAMS ADVANCE TO QUARTERFINALS AT IFAF FLAG FOOTBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
U.S. women defeat Spain, men rebound with win over Australia
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY – Team USA Football® has qualified for the next stage of the 2026 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. The knockout stage begins tomorrow, with the medal games scheduled for Sunday. IFAF has announced the full schedule for the men’s and women’s brackets on its social media channels.
This is the final World Championships before flag football’s Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028. The medal games will determine two men’s and two women’s qualifying places for LA28. As the host nation, the U.S. has automatically qualified for the event.
Following Nigeria’s withdrawal, the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships feature the 15 best men’s and women’s teams divided into four groups each. A recap of the U.S. National Team’s wins from Day 1 is available on usafootball.com.
Despite an upset loss to American Samoa during their first game of Day 2, the U.S. Men’s National Team still has a path to compete for their sixth straight World Championship. A 40-7 win against Australia helped the team build some momentum heading into their game against Japan in the quarterfinals.
The U.S. Women’s National Team, led by recent Desert Oasis High School graduate Akemi Higa, finished the group stage with an undefeated record. The U.S. Women’s National Team is seeking its fourth consecutive IFAF Flag Football World Championship. They face Germany in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
Schedules for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams are available at usafootball.com. All games will be streamed on IFAF’s YouTube channel (@IFAFMedia) with the semifinals and gold medal games also being streamed on DAZN.
U.S. Men Game No. 2: U.S. 32, American Samoa 38
The U.S. Men’s National Team suffered their first loss at an IFAF-sanctioned competition since the gold medal game of the 2012 IFAF Flag Football World Championship.
The U.S. opened the scoring with a touchdown on the game’s first drive, taking a 6-0 lead. American Samoa tied the game, and a penalty on the second U.S. drive wiped out a 45-yard touchdown and put them behind the sticks. The U.S. turned the ball over on downs, and American Samoa went on to take a 6-12 lead.
The U.S. briefly regained the lead 13-12 after Darrell “Housh” Doucette tossed a touchdown to fellow quarterback Nico Casares, but American Samoa established a 13-19 lead heading into the half. The U.S. failed to score during the two-minute drill before halftime, which allowed American Samoa to take a two-score 13-26 lead on the opening possession of the second half. They never trailed again.
Casares completed 16 of 21 pass attempts for 154 yards, two touchdowns and a one-point conversion. Doucette added five completions on six attempts for 49 and three touchdowns. He also made six receptions for 56 yards and a one-point conversion.
Velton Brown Jr., Tyler Davis, Doucette and Ja'Deion High all finished the game with four or more receptions. High produced 64 yards and a pair of scores. Brown and Davis also found the end zone.
U.S. Women Game No. 3: U.S. 52, Spain 31
The U.S. Women’s National Team completed their sweep of the group stage with a win against Spain. The team’s high-powered offense was on full display as quarterback Akemi Higa completed 37 of 50 pass attempts for 360 yards, eight touchdowns and four one-point conversions.
The U.S. scored 18 unanswered points to start the game before Spain responded. The closest the gap got was six points after Spain scored just before halftime to make it 24-12 and then added another six points on the first drive out of the break. The only two possessions the U.S. failed to score on were one with eight seconds left in the first half and kneel downs to end the game.
Higa’s favorite target was center Ashlea Klam. The two connected ten times for 87 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a one-point conversion. The offense spread the ball around with Kennedy Foster, Madison Fulford, Isabella Geraci and Maci Joncich all catching at least five passes.
Joncich continued her outstanding World Championships with seven receptions for 91 yards and four touchdowns. She also recorded three carries for 36 yards. Fulford caught five passes for 44 yards and a one-point conversion. Foster snagged eight receptions for 70 yards, a touchdown and a one-point conversion.
Geraci saw action on both sides of the ball. She produced seven receptions for 68 yards, a touchdown and a one-point conversion and broke up two passes as a safety. Additionally, Loryn Goodwin intercepted a bobbled ball on an extra point try, Brooklin Hill logged a pair of sacks and two additional pressures and Kendra Meredith had a game-sealing interception with less than a minute remaining.
U.S. Men Game No. 3: U.S. 40, Australia 7
The U.S. Men’s National Team rebounded with a one-sided win against Australia. The defense put together its most complete performance of the World Championships, holding strong on multiple potential scoring opportunities and generating a pair of interceptions.
The U.S. scored on five of their seven possessions, which included one spent kneeling to end the game. Darrell “Housh” Doucette got the scoring started with a short touchdown pass to Tyler Davis. Australia responded with a nearly 40-yard completion, but suffocating coverage prevented them from capitalizing on the big play. Australia turned the ball over on downs, and Nico Casares quickly added his name to the box score with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Velton Brown Jr.
Australia drove into U.S. territory again, but a pass breakup by Isaiah Calhoun forced another turnover on downs. The U.S. scored again to go up 24-7 heading into halftime and shut out their opponents the rest of the way thanks to interceptions by Calhoun and Antonio Coleman.
Casares led the U.S. in passing, completing 11 of 16 attempts for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Doucette completed all nine of his attempts for 86 yards, two touchdowns, and a pair of two-point conversions. The versatile offensive weapon also scored a rushing touchdown and made three receptions for 46 yards.
Laderrick “Pablo” Smith was responsible for the U.S. converting three of their five total two-point conversions. He scored twice through the air and once with his legs.
Davis was the team’s favorite target during the game, amassing eight receptions for 49 yards, three touchdowns and three two-point conversions. Brown Jr. was also heavily involved in the passing game, snagging five receptions for 64 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
The star defensive performance included a sack by Shawn Theard Jr. to accompany the interceptions by Calhoun and Coleman. Calhoun also had an additional pair of passes defended.
*Indicates 2025 U.S. National Team Member
+Indicates 2025 U.S. National Team Alternate
2026 U.S. Men’s National Team Roster
Name; Position; Residence
Aamir Brown; S/DB; Philadelphia, Pa.*
Velton Brown Jr.; WR/Ath; Orlando, Fla.*
Isaiah Calhoun; DB/LB; Plano, Texas*
Nico Casares; QB; Miami, Fla.*
Antonio Coleman; QB/Ath; Prince George’s County, Md.+
Mike Daniels; DB/S; Miami, Fla.*
Tyler “TD” Davis; WR/DB; Austin, Texas*
Darrell “Housh” Doucette III; QB/Ath; New Orleans, La.*
Ja'Deion High; WR/C; Lubbock, Texas*
Justin McMullen; DB/S; Miami, Fla.
Laderrick “Pablo” Smith; Ath; Pompano Beach, Fla.*
Shawn Theard Jr.; Ath/Rush; New Orleans, La.*
Head Coach: Jorge Cascudo; Miami, Fla.
Assistant Coach: Willy Perez; Baldwin City, Kan.
Assistant Coach: Rudy Fernandez; Las Vegas, Nev.
2026 U.S. Women’s National Team Roster
Name; Position; Residence
Deliah Autry-Jones; LB/DB; Tampa, Fla.*
Laneah Bryan; DB/WR; El Paso, Texas*
NyKeeta Christopher; DB/WR; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Kennedy Foster; WR/DB; Kansas City, Mo.
Madison Fulford; WR; Los Angeles, Calif.*
Isabella “Izzy” Geraci; WR/DB; North Ridgeville, Ohio*
Loryn Goodwin; S/WR; Dallas, Texas
Akemi Higa; QB; Las Vegas, Nev.
Brooklin Hill; WR/Ath; Las Vegas, Nev.
Maci Joncich; WR/QB; Henderson, Nev.*
Ashlea Klam; C/DB; Austin, Texas*
Kendra Meredith; DB/Rush; Germantown, Md.
Head Coach: Saaid Mortazavi; Miami, Fla.
Assistant Coach: Mary Kate Beach; Charlotte, N.C.
Assistant Coach: Matthew Hernandez; Tampa, Fla.
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