A long summer of IFAF continental tournaments comes to a thrilling conclusion from October 24-26 when the Asia-Oceania flag football championships decide the region’s champions in Ningbo, China.

IFAF will crown separate Asia and Oceania women’s champions, and they will join 13 nations already qualified from Africa, Americas and Europe for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships to be played in Dusseldorf, Germany, next August.

Asia-Oceania gold and bronze medal games will bring down the curtain in Ningbo. The top teams from each region will meet to determine the overall continental champions and the second placed teams will battle for the third and final world championship qualification spot.

Games will be streamed live on IFAF.TV.

Following group stages that begin on October 24, the top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals and will play knockout rounds to determine the Asia champion. American Samoa, Australia and New Zealand will play each other twice in a three-team Oceania round robin with the group winners crowned champions.

Group A: Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China

Defending champions Japan has since won the bronze medal at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland, but faltered at The World Games this summer, finishing seventh overall, falling to China in the first round of placement games.

“Our team strengths will be speedy play and individual leadership,” says head coach Nobuhara Norikazu. “We have many players to watch, including defensive back Miyuna Yamamoto wide receiver and captain Yurika Omi and our quarterback Chihiro Iwata.”

Thailand finished fifth overall at the 2023 championships while Indonesia claimed seventh place. Hong Kong makes an IFAF international competition debut, and while China enters the Asia-Oceania tournament for the first time, they impressed at The World Games.

Livewire China receiver Wen Ze Lin caught three touchdowns, rushed for one score, reeled in two extra points and threw for a touchdown to delight the home crowd when China burst onto The World Games stage.

Group B: Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, India, Jordan

Korea bounced back from having struggled in the continental championships two years ago to impress at the world championships. Malaysia finished fourth overall on home soil in 2023, while the Philippines and India were sixth and eighth respectively.

“We have a 19-year-old rising star, Jaye (#2), on the team who is a speedy two-way player-definitely and is one to keep an eye out for,” said Korea head coach Park JaeSick. “Another young talent to look out for is Yunwoo (#91) on the offense, who combines physicality with playmaking abilities.”

Philippines head coach Melinda Nguyen, who is the women’s flag football head coach at Kansas Wesleyan University in the United States, said: “You can count on our communication and effort to be on full display in Ningbo. Defensively, we will be flying around firing on all cylinders. Offensively, we will be laser focused on precision and execution.”

Jordan’s Panamanian head coach Marichelle Martinez said: “Our focus is on ourselves and our preparation. We will meticulously scout each opponent and execute game-specific plans. This group ensures that we will have to play our best flag football from the very first whistle, and that is exactly the pressure we need to rise to the occasion and prove that Jordan deserves to be a contender in the Asia-Oceania region.”

Group C: New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa

Australia were the beaten finalists two years ago, New Zealand went home with the bronze medal and American Samoa are newcomers on the IFAF continental stage.

The Oceania teams will play each other twice with the nation that tops the group qualifying for the 2020 IFAF World Championships and the runners-up having a shot at the third available spot.

“We come over with the goal of winning gold,” says New Zealand head coach Jono Entwistle. “A lot of time and work has gone into this campaign, and we’re excited to compete with the other nations for a shot at the top.”

American Samoa head coach Nicolette Verdugo said: “The strengths of this team are that all the athletes are two-way players and are well-versed in the 5v5 format at either a club or national level. Each player brings a level tenacity, strong work ethic, and a high IQ for the game of flag football.”