Austria will host the 2025 IFAF European Youth Flag Football Championships when the continent’s top players at the boys and girls U17 and mixed U15 age groups converge on Innsbruck from September 3 to 7.
The action will take place at the American Football Zentrum Innsbruck and the Sportanlage Wiesengasse in the Tyrolean capital on multiple natural grass and synthetic surfaces. The athletes’ practice facilities and dining areas will all be located within a conveniently short walk of the game venues.
Following an opening ceremony on September 3, group games will be played on the following two days, with the medal and placement games scheduled for Saturday, September 6. A full list of participating teams, groups and a game schedule will be announced in the coming months.
“We are delighted to host the IFAF Championship in the U15 Mixed and U17 Girls and Boys categories at the Football Performance Center in Innsbruck,” said Michael Eschlböck, President of AFBÖ: “Here, future participants of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles may already be competing. It will be a magnificent football festival.”
With nearly 3.6 million overnight stays per year (as of 2024), the Innsbruck region is one of Austria's largest tourism destinations, offering a unique symbiosis between a vibrant urban space and a fascinating alpine mountain world. Football has also become an integral part of Innsbruck, which is why the city provides the perfect infrastructure for a youth European championship.
Barbara Plattner, CEO of Innsbruck Tourismus said: “As the host city we cannot wait to welcome many young talents of this exciting trendy sport to Innsbruck. We are also excited to share the alpine-urban lifestyle that defines our region with people from all over Europe. Football has been played in Innsbruck since the 1990s and our guests can look forward to the passion for this sport combined with the fantastic setting in between mountains and the city.”
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.
“The flag football stars of tomorrow will compete for the right to call themselves European champions while they are recognized for being the best young talented players from their respective nations,” said IFAF President Pierre Trochet. “IFAF is delighted that the American Football Bund Österreich (AFBÖ), which has an impressive record of hosting high profile events and games, is preparing to make this the most successful tournament in the competition’s history.”
IFAF Director for Europe Gregor Murth added: “I am excited that my home nation, which I was honored to represent at the highest level, will welcome these youngsters to provide great entertainment for fans of the sport in Austria. These young athletes are our future and I am sure this will be a very competitive tournament.”
Spain, Israel and Germany are the defending IFAF European Youth Flag Football champions having won gold medals in Serbia in 2024. Spain won the U17 Girls title with a narrow 26-24 win over Czechia, Israel beat Italy 29-19 to take the Boys U17 crown, and the mixed U15s tournament saw Germany emerge as champions with a 46-39 win over Great Britain.
