TEAM USA FOOTBALL’S MEN’S AND WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAMS OPEN IFAF FLAG FOOTBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDEFEATED
U.S. women defeat Australia, men top Israel on opening day of IFAF Flag Football World Championships
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY – Team USA Football® wasted little time getting in rhythm, delivering a pair of victories on the first day of the 2026 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. Running from August 13-16, the event serves as the final World Championships before flag football makes its Olympic debut as part of the LA28 program.
The U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams are the reigning IFAF Flag Football World Champions, having claimed their most recent titles in Lahti, Finland in 2024. The men have won five consecutive world championships, including two under current quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette. The women have won the last three world championships.
The 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships feature 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams divided into four groups each. The U.S. men are in Group A with American Samoa, Australia and Israel, while the women share Group B with Australia, Nigeria and Spain.
Schedules for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams are available on 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. Women Game No. 1: U.S. 46, Australia 14
Starting at 8 a.m. in Düsseldorf, the U.S. Women’s National Team began their title defense with an opening drive touchdown pass from quarterback Akemi Higa to Ashlea Klam. The score marked Higa’s first official touchdown in an IFAF event with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
The U.S. struck again on the next drive as Higa found veteran speedster Madison Fulford for a long touchdown. Fulford has ranked among the top receiving leaders in every IFAF event she has competed in since her legendary debut with the team in 2023.
Australia cut the lead to 14-8 on their following drive, but Higa found Fulford on an out-and-up for a one-play, 45-yard response to put the U.S. up 21-8. The U.S. led by more than one score for the remainder of the contest and went into halftime up 27-14.
Maci Joncich put the game on ice with a rushing touchdown on the team’s first possession of the second half, followed by a 26-yard receiving touchdown a few minutes later. Joncich, who was the youngest player in U.S. National Team history when she joined the program in 2024, added a passing touchdown to her box score in the game’s final minutes to give the U.S. 46 points.
In her international debut with the U.S. Women’s National Team, Higa completed 21 of 28 passes for 302 yards, five touchdowns and four extra points. Joncich showcased her versatility by scoring passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns.
Fulford led the U.S. through the air with six receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Isabella “Izzy” Geraci also had a standout performance, making eight receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Klam added five receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown, while Kennedy Foster, in her first game with the program since 2024, made five receptions for 51 yards, a touchdown and an extra point.
A quintet of first-time U.S. National Team athletes made significant contributions on defense in their debuts. After the unit allowed a few long plays early in the game, Kendra Meredith turned the tide with an astonishing six-sack performance. Brooklin Hill also joined the party with a sack in the second half and three additional quarterback pressures.
NyKeeta Christopher led the U.S. with three passes defended and six flag pulls. Meanwhile, defensive back Loryn Goodwin blanketed Australia’s receivers and was only targeted once throughout the game.
U.S. National Team veterans Laneah Bryan and Deliah Autry-Jones contributed three and five flag pulls, respectively.
U.S. Men Game No. 1: U.S. 50, Israel 38
The U.S. came out on top in a high-scoring affair against Israel that saw the Americans score on every one of their possessions, except when they began to burn the clock with under a minute remaining.
Quarterback and offensive chess piece Darrell “Housh” Doucette got the scoring started with a short rushing touchdown to give the U.S. a 6-0 lead. Israel tied the game, and it seemed the teams would take turns trading touchdowns until Aamir Brown intercepted a tipped ball to set up a goal line touchdown pass from Nico Casares to Velton Brown Jr. that gave the U.S. some breathing room with an 18-6 lead.
Casares found Tyler Davis for a touchdown and connected with Brown Jr. on the two-point conversion as time expired in the first half to give the U.S. a 26-14 lead heading into the break.
The game’s tempo picked up significantly in the second half. The U.S. kicked off the scoring again with a Casares touchdown pass to Ja'Deion High. The two teams exchanged scores as Israel kept the lead at 12, but Casares slammed the door on any chance of a comeback with a one-play, 45-yard touchdown to Davis that brought the score to 50-30.
Israel scored one more time before the U.S. began to run the clock down on offense. Defensive back Mike Daniels intercepted a final deep pass as time expired.
Casares and Davis were the stars of the game. Casares, who was an alternate for the 2024 World Championship-winning team, completed 21 of 27 pass attempts for 238 yards, six touchdowns and three two-point conversions. He also got involved as a pass catcher in the team’s multi-quarterback sets, hauling in three receptions for 40 yards and a two-point conversion.
Davis was on the receiving end of four touchdown passes and converted one of the extra point tries. He led the team with eight receptions for 100 yards. Brown Jr. also had a strong performance in the opening game. He made seven receptions for 93 yards, a touchdown and two two-point conversions. High contributed three receptions, including a touchdown.
After scoring the game’s first touchdown, Doucette played a versatile role in the offense. He completed four of five pass attempts for 47 yards and a two-point conversion, ripped off a few runs and caught a pair of receptions, all while also facilitating the team’s dynamic multi-quarterback system.
On defense, U.S. Men’s National Team newcomer Justin McMullen broke up a would-be touchdown pass. Antonio Coleman, who was an alternate on last year’s team, made his U.S. National Team debut at rusher and applied a pair of pressures. Isaiah Calhoun swatted away two pass attempts, while turnovers forced by Brown and Daniels protected the lead.
U.S. Women Game No. 2: Nigeria withdrawals
Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national teams withdrew from the IFAF Flag Football World Championships following the inability of the travelling delegation to secure necessary visas. Teams scheduled to play Nigeria in the group stage, including the U.S., have been awarded automatic victories.
*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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