Italy to host the 2026 IFAF European Youth Flag Football Championships
Italy will host the 2026 IFAF European Youth Flag Football Championships for the third time when the sport’s stars of tomorrow compete in Lido delle Nazioni near Ferrara from September 24 to 26.
The continent’s top flag football athletes at the boys and girls U17 and mixed U15 age groups will converge on the Po Delta Park where they will also experience a true athletes village environment, fostering interaction and shared experiences among the participants.
The championships are among a growing number of youth-focused tournaments being held worldwide. The first-ever U17 flag football competition will be included in the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026 in April and there are plans for Asia to host an IFAF youth event later this year. The 2025 IFAF cycle saw youth flag events played on three continents in Austria, China and Panama.
“As IFAF seeks to expand its international youth competition structures, the European Youth Championships remain a benchmark – growing significantly year on year, both in numbers and quality of play,” said IFAF President Pierre Trochet. “I am delighted to see the event return to Italy in 2026 thanks to the commitment of FIDAF, our superb member federation, who will ensure it is in excellent hands.”
First held in 2016, the tournament showcases the progress of youth flag football across the continent as European nations develop talented athletes on the road to participation at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The mixed competition for teams featuring athletes of both genders reflects flag football’s highly inclusive nature and is in line with trends for greater integration of male and female athletes in international sport.
“Italy being awarded hosting rights to this IFAF tournament is a clear sign of the trust our movement is building at the international level,” said Italian Federation of American Football (FIDAF) President Leoluca Orlando. “The pathway we have launched for our national teams—representing a historic step forward for flag football in Italy—goes hand in hand with an increasing organizational capacity that is now being recognized through events like this. Investing in the present and future of our sport also means providing young athletes with opportunities to compete on stages of this caliber.”
Italy is the defending U17 Girls champion having won the crown last year with a convincing 53-15 win over Germany as quarterback Aurora Vitalli and wide receiver Vittoria Zani connected four touchdowns. Spain won the Boys’ U17 competition in 2025, denying Israel a third straight title, while Germany beat Slovakia 51-42 in a thrilling Mixed U15s final having trailed until inside the two-minute warning.
Source: americanfootball.sport
