The United States defends the men’s IFAF Americas Flag Football title in Panama this week with challenges for their crown coming from across the continent.
They will come from North, Central and South America and from the Caribbean as eleven nations converge on the Estadio Virgilio Tejeira Andrión in Penonomé from September 12-14. The top five teams will qualify for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships to be played in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The United States and Mexico, who met in the 2023 Americas final, are kept apart in the men’s tournament, based on their world rankings. In Group A, USA will take on a Canada side that beat them in an international friendly earlier this year, and face Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia. Mexico comes up against hosts Panama, Chile, Argentina, Jamaica and El Salvador in Group B. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals of the knockout stages.
Games will be streamed live at IFAF.TV. The schedule, results and standings are available at https://affpanama.org/calendario_ffcc/ and through the official tournament app Boolw.
“I believe our team is battle-tested and has been playing championship football for a long time,” says USA head coach Jorge Cascudo. “We bring a lot of experience and have deep knowledge of the game. The best part about this team is that there are no egos. We’ve earned gold medals, but we won’t rest on that previous success. We know we have to perform at the highest level in Panama against great competition.”
The USA-Canada clash brings the curtain down on the group stages at 4.45pm on Saturday, September 13, while Mexico takes on Panama at the same time.
“We are not overly concerned with what group we are in and are happy to play and compete,” says Canada head coach Paul Lapolice. “We knew we would be in with some of the top teams in the world on either side of the bracket, so we are happy to play whomever we drew. If you want to improve your standing, you must compete and beat the best teams in the world. We have a great deal of respect for what the top teams in this tournament have built.”
Host Panama’s men finished third at the 2023 continental championships, having won the bronze medal at the 2021 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Israel, while Mexico missed out on a medal at the IFAF World Championships in Finland last year.
“I believe that each and every country in the competition will be strong,” says Panama head coach Ivan Orozco. “We must give importance, seriousness, and professionalism to each commitment. The country demands it from us.”
The men’s competition gets underway on Friday when Brazil meets Colombia and Guatemala takes on Canada at 8am Central Time. Jamaica will become the first-ever Caribbean nation to enter the IFAF Americas when facing Chile at 9.15am.
“We know that every team in our group will be a challenge, and we respect the talent across the board,” says Jamaica head coach Kevin Dawkins. “Our primary goal is to finish high enough to qualify and advance to the IFAF World Championships. Along the way, we want to win, learn, and succeed, ensuring that every game helps us grow stronger as a team.”
Men’s Group A
USA
Canada
Brazil
Guatemala
Colombia
Men’s Group B
Mexico
Panama
Chile
Argentina
Jamaica
El Salvador
Photo: Ian Humes