The serpentine system used to determine the groups for the IFAF Flag Football World Championships has brought together two highly ranked European nations and another pair of teams capable of making an impression in Finland.

Austria’s women claimed bronze the last time the world’s flag football elite convened in Israel, adding to a silver won in 2016 and two other third places in 2010 and 2014.

In The World Games, Austria beat France, but lost to USA and Panama in the group stages, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Japan, who were defeated 39-32. Having lost out to the United States in a close semifinal, Austria faced Panama in the bronze medal game, but were unable to secure a medal.

Austria won four straight European titles between 2009 and 2015, and boast two bronze medal finishes, while they finished fifth in Europe in 2023 and are ranked fifth in the world.

Robert Riedl has taken over as head coach from Walter Demel. Well-known within in the flag football world in Austria, AFBÖ Hall of Famer Riedl was part of the Austrian men’s national team, while Demel remains on the team’s coaching staff.

Going into this summer’s IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Lahti, Finland, Spain is ranked sixth in the world and will aim to be among the contenders and to qualify for the first time for The World Games, to be played in Chengdu, China, in 2025. Spain boasts an explosive offensive playmaker in Olga Sotillo who also starred for the women’s national tackle team as they were crowned 2023/24 IFAF European Champions.

Having placed ninth at the last world championships and then excelled in continental competition, Spain’s women came within one possession of defending their European crown in Limerick last summer, just losing out in the gold medal game to Great Britain.

Nobody will travel further to Finland than the Kiwis this summer and this on top of the almost 18,000 km covered to participate at the IFAF Asia-Oceania tournament last year.

New Zealand faltered in their debut game of the Asia-Oceania tournament, though a close loss to hosts Malaysia might have ended in a draw but for a catch made agonizingly out of bounds late in the game. Wins over the Philippines and India secured second place in the group and a quarterfinal match up with Thailand, who after an overnight rain delay were beaten 53-20.

The semifinals presented the ultimate challenge against a Japan team blazing its way to the gold medal and a 42-14 defeat presented an opportunity for revenge for that opening game loss against Malaysia. The event hosts were duly beaten 20-13 and the Flag Ferns returned home with the bronze medal and 15^th place in the 2023 IFAF Flag Football World Rankings.

One place below them is Switzerland, a team that again goes up against Austria, as they did in Israel three years ago on the way to a 15^th place finish and in the Euros in 2023. The Swiss have never medaled in either the world or continental competitions but ended their European campaign on a high note with wins over Sweden and Ireland.