Flag football might be a new Olympic Games sport poised to make its anticipated debut at LA28 two years from now, but this summer’s IFAF World Championships will be the 12^th such tournament which boasts a proud history dating back to 2002.

IFAF recalls some highlights the women’s competition, which was inaugurated in Vienna and has since been hosted by ten nations on three continents on a biennial basis.

While Europe dominated the early editions of the men’s tournament, teams from the Americas stamped their mark on the women’s competition early on.

Two years after France beat Sweden to the first-ever gold medal, it was Mexico that triumphed in Thonon-les-Bains, France, cruising past Finland 42-12, beginning a streak of winning every other tournament until 2012.

The French were again beaten by Sweden in 2004, this time for the bronze medal, but bounced back and won their only gold medal in 2006 in South Korea. Japan was beaten 46-32 in the title game, and it would be another 18 years until they claimed another medal, taking bronze in 2024.

The 2006 competition in Korea had brought about a significant change as the previous style of playing 7-on-7 flag football had been replaced by IFAF and then European governing body EFAF by a 5-on-5 format that remains in place today.

In 2008 in St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Mexico beat Canada 27-18 to become the first nation to win the crown for a second time.

“We are representing Mexico and it is a great glory to win for our country,” said wide receiver Tzinnia Valdes. “I cannot explain the feeling.”

Alexandre Flores added: “We came out the first half nervous. We were not thinking and made mistakes. In the second half we said, ‘this is ours; we have to take and take it home.’”

The 2008 tournament was also notable for the fact that the United States joined the party and finished fourth, losing the bronze medal game to France. USA would stand on the podium in six of the next seven championships that followed.

But those first three medals were all silver as first Canada triumphed on home soil in 2010, Mexico added an unrivalled third title in 2012 with a thrilling 33-32 win, and Canada claimed a second crown, all at the Americans’ expense. Austria and France alternated bronze medals and Mexico were constantly in contention when not winning, finishing fourth in 2010 and 2014.

Panama emerged in 2016, defeating Austria in the title game in Miami, then finished runners up two years later on home soil as the United States won the gold medal for the first time with a 27-12 victory.

With legendary quarterback Vanita Krouch at the helm, USA became the gold standard, beating Mexico 31-21 in Israel in 2021 and then 31-18 in Finland in 2024.

USA and Mexico have each won six medals in IFAF World Flag history with USA just edging the leaderboard with three golds and three silvers to Mexico’s three wins, two second place finishes and one third. Canada is the next most successful nation with its pair of titles.