Flag Football

Sport Overview

Flag Football at Los Angeles 2028

Venue: Exposition Park Stadium

Competition Dates: July 15-22 (Days 1-8)

Events: 2 (1 men, 1 women) 

Flag football, a variant of American football, will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028. 

The team on offence aims to advance the ball down the field via a series of plays into the opposition’s defensive endzone, scoring a touchdown. Unlike the most commonly known form of American football, such as seen in the NFL, flag football is a non-contact sport. Because of this, helmets and shoulder pads are not part of the equipment. “Tackles” are made by removing one of the two fabric flags attached to the either side of the ball carrier’s waist. 

A flag football field measures 70 x 25 yards. The length includes 50 yards of playing distance plus 10 yards for each of the two endzones. Play begins at a team’s own five-yard line, where the centre snaps the ball back to the quarterback who can either pass the ball forward to a receiver or hand it off to a running back. A play ends when either a flag is removed, the ball carrier goes out of bounds, or a forward pass hits the ground. 

Flag football features five players per team on the field. Players tend to specialize in either offensive or defensive positions. Matches consist of two 20-minute halves. 

The team on offence has four downs (ie: attempts) to get the ball from their own five-yard line to the halfway mark of the field. If they succeed, they have another four downs to reach the endzone and score a touchdown. If they don’t achieve this forward progression, they turn the ball over to their opponent to go on offence. 

As in tackle football, a touchdown is worth six points. Teams can add an extra point by running or passing the ball from the five-yard line into the endzone, or they can go for two extra points from the 10-yard line. 

If a game is tied after the 40 minutes of regulation time, overtime begins with the teams receiving equal possessions. The first team to score unanswered earns the victory. 

At LA 2028, each tournament will start with a six-team round robin. The top four teams of each gender will advance to the semifinals, from which the winners move on to play for gold and silver and the losers face off for the bronze medal. 

Flag football began as a recreational activity for American soldiers during World War II, who then brought the game home with them. The first flag football games are believed to have been held at Fort Meade in Maryland. It was called “touch and tail football” before the name “flag football” was adopted after the war. 

Olympic American Football History

American football was included as a demonstration sport at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games. In August 2022, flag football was one of nine sports shortlisted as an OCOG Proposed Sport for LA 2028. During the 141st IOC Session in October 2023, flag football was approved for inclusion at LA 2028. 

Flag football was an official medal sport at the 2022 World Games where there were men’s and women’s tournaments. Flag football was also included at the 2025 World Games, but only with a women’s event. Prior to that, American football in its tackling form was an invitational sport at the 2005 and 2017 World Games.