Europe’s Flag Football stars to bring new Olympic excitement to Paris

| American Football | 09/17/2025

The world’s hottest sport is headed for Paris! As flag football prepares to make a primetime Olympic Games debut in LA28, the Parc Interdépartemental de Choisy Paris-Val-de-Marne will welcome Europe’s leading teams from September 24 to 27 for IFAF Euro Flag 2025 – the third of four championships in the International Federation of American Football’s (IFAF) biennial continental series.

At stake are both European titles and crucial qualification places for the new-look IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Düsselfdorf in August 2026, which is expected to play a key role in Olympic Games qualification. Hosts Germany are pre-qualified for the Worlds, leaving 6 additional spots for women and a further 6 for men up for grabs in Paris.

Europe is home to some of the world’s strongest flag football nations, boasting six of the world’s top 10-ranked men’s teams and five of the women’s. The continent was awarded more World Championships qualifying berths than any other based on teams’ performances last year.

Reigning continental champions Great Britain (Women) and Germany (Men) will expect to face fierce competition in Paris from Austria, Europe’s top-ranked nation in both men’s and women’s flag football, alongside powerhouses Spain (W), Italy (M, W) and Switzerland (M). Hosts France (world-ranked 5th for men and 11th for women) will also be targeting podium spots in front of home fans who turned the French capital into a sea of blue, white and red during last year’s Olympics.

Paris will see new benchmarks set for an IFAF continental flag football event, with a record 43 national teams registered for the competition and unprecedented ticket sales already recorded with 10 days still to go.

The championship is being organized as a joint venture between IFAF and sports event company Playground. The four-day event has been designed to showcase the unique culture of flag football – a fast, fun and inclusive version of American football – with a wrap-around festival featuring a fan village full of interactive, family entertainment and a closing “Flag Festival” afterparty, hosted in partnership with renowned club promoter Back to Basics, that will give fans the chance to celebrate with the athletes to the sounds of French Hip-Hop, Trap and Afrobeats.

IFAF President, Pierre Trochet, (France) says:

“IFAF Euro Flag is an unmissable opportunity for French sports fans to discover elite flag football and find out why it is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting sports on the planet! We’re bringing that Olympic fever back to Paris with the chance to cheer on Les Bleus on the road to Los Angeles 2028 – and to meet stars who will capture the world’s imagination in just three years’ time!”