Both Canadian teams advance to quarterfinals at flag football world championships
Both the Canadian women’s and men’s teams are into the quarterfinals at the 2026 IFAF World Flag Football Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany.
That was confirmed following the end of the group stage on Friday. It also keeps alive both teams’ hopes of qualifying for the first ever Olympic flag football tournaments at Los Angeles 2028.
The world championships are the first opportunity for countries to secure Olympic spots in flag football. The top two eligible teams per gender at the world championships will qualify for LA 2028. The United States is already assured of its spots in both Olympic tournaments as the host nation. The remaining three Olympic spots for each gender will be awarded via the Olympic Q-Series in June 2028.
The Canadian women’s team went undefeated in the group stage, posting a perfect 3-0 record. On Thursday, they opened with a 27-14 victory against Panama and then earned a dominant 36-6 win over Brazil. They closed out the preliminary round by defeating fifth-ranked Japan 34-20.
Canada is currently fourth in the women’s IFAF World Rankings, behind Mexico, the United States, and Great Britain. Canada will face Austria in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 3:15 a.m ET. The winner of that match will face either Mexico or Spain later on Saturday. The other women’s quarterfinals see the United States take on Germany and Great Britain versus Panama. The medal matches are scheduled for Sunday.
The Canadian men’s team posted a 2-1 record in the group stage, which placed them second in their group. They kicked things off on Thursday with an upset of world No. 2 Austria, earning a huge 26-6 victory. They fell 37-28 to Japan on Friday, but also got a win by default. The last team in their group, Nigeria, had to withdraw on the eve of the tournament after encountering via issues.
Canada is currently 10th in the men’s IFAF World Rankings. They will face 33rd-ranked American Samoa in the quarterfinals at 5:45 a.m. ET on Saturday. American Samoa stunned the top-ranked United States 40-24 on Friday, ending a 14-year win streak for the USA.
The winner of Canada’s quarterfinal will face the victor of Italy versus Germany in the semifinals later on Saturday. The other half of the bracket sees Japan take on the United States and Mexico face off with Panama. The men’s medal matches will also take place on Sunday.
