IFAF reveals plans to expand international youth flag football competition following ‘best ever’ Eruopean Championships

Italy, Spain and Germany secure European Youth titles in Innsbruck

Pilot youth competition to be held alongside senior Americas Flag Football Championship in Panama this weekend

A record-breaking edition of the IFAF European Youth Flag Football Championships concluded on Saturday 6 September in Innsbruck, Austria as the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) prepares to evolve and extend its youth international competition framework.

Thirty-one teams contested the three titles on offer at the OlympiaWorld complex, on the site of Innsbruck’s historic Olympic Park, representing an 11% increase in entries since last year’s edition in Belgrade, Serbia, and 15% since the 2023 tournament in Grossetto, Italy.

In what was the most competitive and high-quality European Youth Championships ever, Italy took home the Under 17 Girls’ gold while Spain secured the Under 17 Boys’ title and Germany claimed the crown in the Under 15 Mixed event – a popular recent feature of the tournament highlighting flag’s inclusive appeal.

The Championships, which took place this year in spectacular surroundings at Innsbruck’s purpose-built American Football Center, have historically proven a breeding ground for senior international flag football talent. Previous participants have included Austria’s Magdalena Helm, now a second-year scholarship athlete at Keyser University in Florida, USA – one of more than 100 US colleges offering varsity flag football programmes amid rapid expansion of the sport at Collegiate level.

The growth comes amid booming worldwide youth participation and high-performance investment in flag football as the sport prepares to make its Olympic Games debut in LA28. Grassroots numbers are doubling every two years in countries such as Germany and Great Britain, while last month’s annual report from the National Federation of State High School Associations confirmed another 60% year-on-year jump in US girls’ flag football participation, contributing to a sixfold increase since the 2018-19 school year.

As part of its phased and sustainable development of international competition structures – a core manifesto commitment of IFAF President Pierre Trochet – IFAF has this week confirmed the next stage in the expansion of international competition in flag football.

A pilot youth event will take place alongside the senior IFAF Americas Flag Football Championship in Panama from September 12-14, marking a first step in the development of official junior international competition outside Europe. While the sport’s powerhouse senior teams – among them Mexico, USA and Canada – will renew storied rivalries in search of World Championships qualification, junior athletes from Panama, Mexico and Guatemala will enjoy their first taste of sanctioned international competition at the Virgilio Tejeira Andrión stadium in Penonomé this weekend.

Next month, a limited youth competition will also be trialed alongside the IFAF Asia-Oceania Flag Football Championships in Ningbo, China, which will conclude the IFAF Continentals series for 2025.

With bidding now open for the 2027 IFAF Continental Championships, IFAF is developing plans for a full programme of continental youth competition beginning in two years’ time. Further announcements are expected in 2026.

IFAF President Pierre Trochet said:

“The European Youth Championships have again demonstrated the irrepressible growth and excitement building around flag football worldwide.

“These young athletes will be the first generation to fully benefit from the extraordinary momentum surrounding the sport on the road to Los Angeles. Some may achieve their Olympic dreams, others are aiming to secure college scholarships.

“With so many pathways opening up, there is a clear demand from our members to support the development of high-performance athletes through structured international youth flag football competition in every continent.”

Check out photos from all the action here.